A trusted carer who faced being locked up after a fraud trial jury was shown her bed-ridden victim’s police interview has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Multiple sclerosis sufferer Christine Noad died in hospital last November, but back in March 2014 she was interviewed by police in her own home about allegations that Lorraine Furness had been carrying out a cheque fraud which netted her almost £22,000.

Furness, 51, of Tichbourne Street, Liversedge, went on trial at Bradford Crown Court after she denied 11 charges of fraud by false representation involving more than 100 cheques over a period between April 2007 and February 2014.

But the trial ended unexpectedly on its second day when Furness, who had no previous convictions, changed her pleas to guilty.

Mrs Noad, of Liversedge, died aged 76 and the court heard she was only able to leave her home if someone took her out in a wheelchair.

Furness was one of a number of different carers who assisted Mrs Noad and Mr Bashir said she had been employed by her victim for almost 20 years.

He alleged that Furness was in dire straits financially and resorted to fraud to fund her general lifestyle.

In the video recorded interview shown to the jury Mrs Noad told an investigating officer from her bed that Furness was always paid in cash and insisted that she had never given the defendant a cheque.

Mrs Noad said she used to lend Furness money with interest, which was always paid back, but she stopped doing that about two years previously.

The alleged offending came to light in February 2014 when Mrs Noad’s husband was contacted by staff at the NatWest bank and told that an account was about to go overdrawn.

He discovered that a number of cheques had been paid to Furness, but his wife told him that she had not made any loans to the defendant or given her permission to use her account.

“I have never, never given Lorraine Furness a cheque,” said Mrs Noad in her interview.

Barrister Ella Anderson, for Furness, said her client had not used the stolen money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Instead she had struggled throughout her life.

The court heard that Furness was a trained carer for her young grand-daughter who was seriously ill and she acted as the “bed-rock” for her family.

Judge Dabid Hattom QC said Furness had purported to be a friend of Mr and Mrs Noad for many years and had cynically abused their trust.

He said the appropriate sentence was 18 months in prison, but after considerable thought he had come to the conclusion that the justice of the case could be met by suspending that sentence for two years.

Furness will also have to do 240 hours unpaid works for the community and will be subject to a night-time curfew between 9pm and 6am for the next four months.