'Serial fraudster' fined for dodging community service punishment

A SERIAL fraudster who scammed a children’s cancer charity has now been fined for dodging her community service punishment.

- WALES NEWS SERVICE and LOIS MCCARTHY

Estate agent Charlotte Blackwell faked her wedding abroad to con cash from family and friends and used it to pay off her online bingo debts CONOR GOGAARTY

(CONOR GOGAARTY)

Estate agent Charlotte Blackwell, 31, avoided jail last August after she tried to con Swansea children’s cancer charity Morgan’s Army out of £4,000.

She received a suspended 10-month sentence after lying to the charity that her daughter needed treatment in Germany when she was really in remission from cancer.

Now, a court has heard the shameless fraudster also failed to turn up for many of her community service orders.

Cardiff Crown Court has heard Blackwell had attended 21 out of 34 appointments, but failed to comply with the conditions of two of those.

She had eight “acceptable” absences from the unpaid work meetings but three “unacceptable” absences putting her in breach of her order.

Out of the 120 hours she was told to carry out, Blackwell had managed to complete just over half of them - with 55 hours and 25 minutes still outstanding.

Blackwell was subsequently fined £50 and ordered to pay £150 costs for the breaches and ordered to comply.

Judge Eugene Egan told her: “Please don’t come back again Ms Blackwell. No-one wants to see you fail on this order - least of all you. The ball is in your court. Please make sure you complete this order, you are fully capable of doing it, I have no doubt.

“I hope we don’t see you back - I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

Morgan's Army was set up by the parents of Morgan Ridler who died of cancer aged three.