A WOMAN who defrauded a generous and vulnerable man has avoided jail a second time.

The Leader reported in June 2020 how Chantel Gibson, of Victoria Court in Wrexham, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment suspended it for 18 months for a number of fraud offences.

She had befriended and defrauded Wrexham resident and former wine bar owner Nicholas Churton - who was murdered at the age of 67 in his Crescent Close home the following year.

As part of her suspended sentence, Gibson was ordered to undertake ten days of rehabilitation activity, as well as 250 hours of unpaid work.

Now 27, Gibson appeared before Mold Crown Court on Thursday for breaching her suspended sentence requirements by failing to attend a planned appointment in July this year.

She admitted the breach, but Recorder Simon Mills said he wanted to know why her engagement with the order had started well and subsequently become 'sporadic.'

Gibson told the court she had been struggling with her mental health.

Patrick Gartland, defending, said: "She's been under the care of her GP and has been medicated, but unfortunately she has been discharged from the surgery and has not had access to her medication.

"She has attempted to keep the probation service informed of her mental health and has been taking steps to improve matters."

Mr Gartland told the court his client has since secured a job as a housekeeper and has enrolled on a college course.

Recorder Mills said: "In your case I am not going to activate it (the suspended sentence).

"I am impressed to hear you have got some work and you're doing a course.

"You have a lot of unpaid work left to do, and I am not going to change that.

"I don't think you're just defying us, but if it turns into defiance you'll end up going down those steps with all the disaster that brings."

She received an extension in the operational period of her suspended sentence of six months (to a total of two years), and an extra four days of rehabilitation activity.