A NORTH Yorkshire mother-of-two who forged her husband’s signature to remortgage their home has appeared in court.

Kate Margaret Caunt, of Olympia Crescent, Selby, received a four-month suspended sentence after she admitted faking the signature of Steven Caunt and a neighbour, as a witness, for a £94,000 remortgage at a property in Volta Street in 2007.

York Crown Court heard that Caunt, 35, had applied with her husband for a £55,000, interest-only mortgage on their home in 2005, which he paid on a monthly basis.

Michael Smith, prosecuting, said Mr Caunt had first questioned his now-estranged wife in 2007 when he noticed the mortgage payments had doubled from £300 to £600, but he was told this was due to a change in the interest rate.

In fact, Caunt had applied for a £94,000, interest-only mortgage without the knowledge of her husband, and forged his signature and that of a witness to gain the loan.

Chris Smith, for Caunt, said the new mortgage had been used to pay off the previous one, and for home improvements which the couple and their two sons had both enjoyed, and not to live, what he called, “a champagne lifestyle”.

The court heard that Caunt’s mismanagement of the household funds had led to a number of outstanding debts, and that was the reason she applied for the re-mortgage.

David Hatton QC, sentencing Caunt, said: “I do not accept that it was required in total because of your inadequate management of your financial affairs, but it was, in my judgement, certainly to a degree motivated by greed.

“Not only has the mortgage company been defrauded of a significant amount of money, the consequences upon your husband are very significant indeed.”

Michael Smith confirmed that a decision on how the mortgage would be repaid had yet to be made. Caunt was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work, and given a three-month curfew order.