Young St Annes mother defrauded relative out of £15k to fund her gambling addiction

Rebecca Barnes fleeced her relative out of £15,170 held in a TSB bank account to pay for her internet gambling addiction.

The 29-year-old took out credit cards using the victim’s bank details and set up an Amazon account using those details.

The offences took place between May and August last year, Blackpool Magistrates heard.

Barnes, of East Bank Road, St Annes admitted stealing the money and four offences of fraud

Sue Mugford, defending, said Barnes had suffered a difficult break up with her baby’s father.

Barnes initially made no comment to police about her crimes but voluntarily requested a second interview at which she confessed .

"She had felt isolated and became addicted to gambling, at first borrowing small amounts to fund her next gambling fix before things got out of hand,” she said.

Mugford was bailed until October 3 while Blackpool Magistrates ordered pre-sentence reports.