Fraud woman faked death

Melanie Deacon, aged 35, ran up almost £6,700 of debt on cards she used in Cannock shops and a Next catalogue.

Deacon, now living in Huddersfield, appeared at Cannock Magistrates Court yesterday after admitting fraud and forgery. Two credit cards were obtained in 2002 in the name of Hednesford woman Emma Krista who had moved to Greece.

Emma Krista had divorced her husband in 2001. Deacon moved in with Mrs Krista's ex-husband, Nicholas Brown, at his Hednesford Road home.

She then pretended to be Mrs Krista, using her former name of Emma Brown, to get two Barclaycards which she used to run up debts totalling £6,251 as well as £419 on the Next Catalogue.

Deacon then sent a deed poll notice to Barclays in 2003 and Next claiming Mrs Emma Brown had changed her name to Melanie Jones.

In the December she took a death certificate for a client at Independent Financial Advice Bureau, Market Street, Hednesford, where she worked and scanned it into a computer. She sent the altered certificate to Barclays and Next claiming Melanie Jones had died.

Mr John Peel, prosecuting, said Emma Krista returned to the UK.

He said: "In 2006 Ms Emma Krista complained to police that she was being contacted by various credit agencies in relation to debts on the credit cards in her name. When these accounts had been set up she was living in Greece."

"The defendant was arrested in Huddersfield on March 4 and in interview she admitted going by the name Melanie Jones. The purpose of the forgery was to convince Barclays and Next that she was dead and did not have to pay."

Chairman of the bench, Mr David Breen, said that the crimes were serious and she had breached her employers trust but: "You pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and for that reason we are not going to send you to prison."

Deacon was sentenced to a two-year supervision order and told she must do 300 hours of unpaid work and she was ordered to pay £1,400 in compensation to Barclays and Next.

She was still liable for the rest of the debt.