Woman who defrauded council of £40,000 over her mum's care fees walks free from court

Ainslie Davies lights a cigarette outside court after she was told she would not have to go to jail. Image: National World

A woman who defrauded the county council of £40,000 over her mum’s care fees avoided a prison term after paying back the cash.

Ainslie Davies was charge with fraud by false representation after claiming to the then Northamptonshire County Council back in 2015 that she was in control of her mother Margaret Greenwood’s financial affairs.

She told them she had the authority to apply for deferred payment for her mum’s care fees.

Deferred payment means that the local authority will pay care fees secured against an asset – in this case Mrs Greenwood’s house – until the asset is sold, which is sometimes after the death of the person receiving the care.

Davies, of Drayton Place, Irthlingborough, told the council she had official permission to apply for deferred payment, but that was not true. The council forked out £40,000 for Mrs Greenwood’s care over six years before they found out that Davies had no power over her mum’s money and so they could not reclaim the cash from her estate.

The 66-year-old appeared at Northampton Crown Court in December for sentence where Recorder Shamim Qureshi told her that he would send her to jail unless she paid back the money.

She paid two installments of £20,000 each in February and March and was back before the court last week. No oral mitigation was offered in her defence.

Recorder Qureshi said that in light of the payment he would impose a suspended jail term.

He said: “You have paid the full loss to NCC and therefore the wrong that was caused as a result of this fraud has been put right.

"Beyond the council are the taxpayers of the county.”

Mrs Greenwood died some months ago.

Davies was given a jail term of 20 months, suspended for two years. Recorder Qureshi said he would not impose any probation orders because there was ‘no help that probation could give in this case.’

Two separate counts were not proceeded with after Davies pleaded guilty to fraud. A charge of fraudulently using a bank card in Asda, Rushden, and the theft of £151,717 by Davies from her mother were left to lie on file.