A FORMER Swindon Borough Council debt collector who fleeced a lady in her eighties out of tens of thousands of pounds has been warned she could be jailed.

Lorraine Bourne admitted abusing her position of having power of attorney to use the pensioner’s bank account for her own purposes.

The 59-year-old also accepted a charge of false accounting relating to a bogus receipt for a man in his nineties.

It is said she plundered almost £50,000 from the lady, who has since died, between October 2012 and July 2014.

And she created a fake receipt for the man, who has also passed on, in the three years to January 2014.

Bourne had been due to stand trial on the allegations at Swindon Crown Court after pleading not guilty to the matters in January of last year.

But before a jury could be sworn in her barrister asked what the maximum sentence would be should she change her plea to admit the two offences.

After she was told she would not get more than two years, a length of sentence which could be suspended, Bourne admitted what she had done and the trial was abandoned.

Bourne, of Pheasant Close, Covingham, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and one of false accounting.

Prosecutors said they would not proceed to trial on a fraud charges and one of money laundering.

The court heard she met the two victims through her job with Swindon Borough Council, where she collected care fees.

Once she got hold of the old lady’s bank card she used it to not only withdraw cash but to also make purchases for herself.

Among the spending she even used the pensioner’s account to pay the council tax bills on her and her daughter’s homes.

She also used the money to pay off previous debts as she was struggling financially at the time, the court was told.

Chris Smyth, defending, said that it was alleged she had taken roughly £49,000 from the elderly woman.

But he said she would say £7,5000 was paid back into the victim's account and a further £14,499 was paid in wages to his client.

Sarah Jones, prosecuting, said that was not accepted by the Crown as she was in a care home at the time, so did not need care.

After she entered her pleas Mr Smyth asked for the case to be adjourned for presentence reports as well as a psychiatric report to be prepared on the defendant.

Judge Tim Mousley QC put the case off to Thursday February 16 and released her on bail until then but warned her 'All sentencing options will be open'.

Her friend Dennis Boorman, 63, of Midwinter Gardens, Stratton, admitted a money laundering offence and was released on bail to the same date for sentence.