A WIFE stole nearly £5,000 cash from her disabled ex-husband’s bank account after they split up - until the theft was spotted by his new partner.

Samantha Collins of Worcester stole £4,838 from her husband’s account, taking money he claimed for Disability Living Allowance.

Phillip Collins had been unaware the money was being stolen and the offence only came to light when his new partner examined his bank statements and asked why payments were being made to Samantha Collins.

The 47-year-old of Melbourne Street carried out the theft between December 18, 2014 and October 25, 2016.

She admitted the offence at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday on what would otherwise have been the first day of her trial.

Michael Conry, prosecuting, said Mr Collins was granted Disability Living Allowance in December 2012. His relationship with the defendant encountered ‘considerable difficulties’ in 2013 and 2014. It became clear that they were not going to live happily together following a holiday in Turkey, he said.

Mr Conry said: “She would quite often withdraw the entirety of the amount leaving the account of Mr Collins at nil or sometimes slightly overdrawn."

In interview Collins was described as ‘really reticent about it’ and ‘made denials’ and ‘no comment’ responses.

Mr Conry described it as an offence of ‘high culpability’ involving a breach of a ‘high degree of trust’.

Before she was sentenced Collins told a probation officer the couple had been married for 20 years and had the care of three adult children.

She had always managed the finances and dealt with the bills. The probation officer said there had been an element of her having to come to terms with the end of the relationship with her husband. Collins had no previous convictions.

Collins now lives in a one bedroom bungalow supplied by a housing association but works full time as a driver and passenger assistant for the council’s education department, the probation officer told the court.

He said she already had debts of £4,500 and was paying this off via a debt recovery programme and had effectively no disposable income. Collins was assessed to be at a low risk of reoffending and at a low risk of causing harm.

Jason Patel, for Collins, asked the judge to consider his powers of suspension on behalf of the mother-of-three, saying she had borne the brunt of the debt because 'it was her name on everything'. In December 2014 she was living with her daughter and had to find private rented accommodation and had to get a new vehicle as she no longer had access to the one she used previously Mr Patel told the court.

He said: “She is regretful. She is remorseful."

Recorder John Benson QC said: "In short this was the systematic dishonest appropriation of money which did not belong to you. It belonged to someone who, because of his condition, had been entitled to Disability Living Allowance.

"It represents, in my judgement, a serious breach of trust on your part." However, he said her previous good character weighed heavily in her favour and she had pleaded guilty, albeit at a late stage, for which he gave her credit.

The recorder sentenced her to eight months in prison suspended for two years and ordered her to complete 80 hours of unpaid work as and when directed to do so by the the probation service.

He also made a compensation order to the sum of £1,000 as a contribution towards the £4,838 she stole. Collins was ordered to pay this at a rate of £35 per month.