A mother of two who ran a £400,000 loan shark racket from her Black Country home, charging her clients up to £600-a-time if they missed payments, was today behind bars.

Sarah Dixon allowed people to borrow between £50 and £30,000 and then charged them interest of up to 1,689 per cent, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon.

The 34-year-old, of Cannock Road, Wednesfield, fined “clients” if they missed payments.

Dixon took credit cards and pin numbers from some and took money directly from their bank accounts.

She admitted eight charges of illegal money lending and was jailed for three years and nine months.

Full background and more stories in Thursday’s Express & Star.