A “MANIPULATIVE and devious” conwoman who cheated an elderly charity volunteer out of £6,500 does not have the money to pay her back in full, York Crown Court heard.

Sharon Diane Farrar, 37, lives on benefits and could be declared bankrupt, her barrister Stephen Grattage said.

“She is very sorry, but that is the situation,” the barrister said.

“As a matter of fact, there it is.”

He said Farrar had various loans and did not want to be declared bankrupt.

Last August, York Crown Court heard Farrar had falsely claimed that her mother was dead to win the sympathy of the 86-year-old Acomb widow.

She used tears and strong-arm tactics to force the pensioner into having her driveway dug up before marching her down to the bank and standing over her while the widow filled out a withdrawal form.

In total, the conwoman forced her victim to hand over £6,500.

An expert later assessed the work done as being worth £1,500 at most. The Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, ordered Farrar, of Bridge View, Skelton, near Howden, to pay £2,000 compensation at £25 a week.

He told her: “In the event of bankruptcy, I would not like to think there would be preferential creditors ranking above the victim of your offending.”

City of York Council trading officers had prepared a report on Farrar’s finances for the court.

Last August the judge described Farrar as a “manipulative and devious” woman who had “exploited in a cynical way an elderly and public-spirited lady”.

Farrar must return to court in three weeks time when probation officers will give a report on how she is complying with her sentence of three months’ imprisonment suspended for two years on condition she does 300 hours’ unpaid work and undergo psychiatric treatment.

She pleaded guilty to fraud by misrepresentation.

Mr Grattage said Farrar was benefiting from the psychiatric treatment. But the judge warned her she had to do the unpaid work as well.