A woman has been given a suspended sentence after she took advantage of two vulnerable men borrowing money from them which a Recorder said she had no intention of returning.

Andrew Horton prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court Shabana Ellis met her first victim at Dewsbury Bus Station in February last year.

Although he was 27 he had obvious issues. He described how Ellis told him she needed money to get to Harrogate Hospital to see her child who was seriously ill.

He lent her some cash for a taxi they exchanged numbers and on subsequent occasions gave her other sums for a variety of reasons including hospital visits, money for electricity and when he went to her home on one occasion for repairing damage to a door.

However his suspicions were aroused after he spoke to a taxi driver about what the money was being used for and when he asked for the money totalling £1,030 to be repaid she kept making excuses.

Eventually he contact the police and she was arrested and was on bail when she befriended the second complainant, a 79-year-old man.

He described her knocking on his door and offering a massage for some money. He gave her some but she did not do as she promised however they kept in touch and she also told him she needed money to get to Harrogate to see her ill son.

She also asked for some money to pay for a credit check, for a school uniform for her son and to have her door replaced.

At one point she moved in with the pensioner although he said they did not have a full sexual relationship. When he told her he had no money left that friendship cooled off and after his family became concerned about where his money had gone the police were involved.

Anastasis Tassou representing her said: “My instructions are these were genuine friendships which she took advantage of because of her particular situation.”

He said Ellis had struggled for years with various addictions, heroin, cocaine and alcohol which were being her offending.

Ellis, 34 of Wateroyd Lane, Mirfield, admitted two charges of theft and was given a total of eight months in prison suspended for 12 months with supervision and a nine month drug rehabilitation programme.

She was ordered to pay £1500 compensation to the pensioner and £1030 to her other victim.

Sentencing her Recorder M Wheeler said: “You befriended people, you borrowed money from them with promises of returning it, you gave a variety of stories how this money was utilised by you and when people who lent it to you would get it back and then reneged on those promises.”

He said she had known they were vulnerable “and had no intention of returning the money” but was now motivated and achieving stability in her life which meant the inevitable custodial sentence could be suspended.