Mother defends spree after £52k put in bank by Staffordshire council blunder
A mother who went on a huge shopping spree after she discovered £52,000 had mistakenly been put into her bank account has defended her actions.
Michaela Hutchings, 23, spent £9,000 on expensive designer shoes, handbags and sunglasses in a two-day spending splurge after finding the transfer from her council.
She also gave her mother £1,000 in cash, and put £40,000 into a savings account, before she was confronted by police on April 24 last year.
While some have taken to social media sites to criticise her since her appearance at Stafford Crown Court, others – including her family – have defended her actions, claiming that 'anyone would have done the same.'
Miss Hutchings said: "All of this is my fault and I feel so sorry. I put my family in a position where they are being looked down on by everyone."
"When I went to the cashpoint to take out some money I checked my balance and everything changed. There was over £50,000 in there. I didn't know what to do. Who would?"
The young mother said that her former boyfriend – who is currently in custody awaiting trial for drug related offences – told her to keep the money.
She added: 'But also, part of me liked the idea that I suddenly had all that money. I was a single mum – money isn't always easy. But this was not how I was brought up." Hutchings was found guilty of dishonesty and retaining a wrongly credited bank transfer when she appeared at Stafford Crown Court last week.
Hutchings, who works part-time at her parents' vehicle hire company, was given a 12-month community order and told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard an administrative error meant Lichfield District Council accidentally transferred £52,000 into her account. Hutchings allegedly ignored repeated phone calls and visits and claimed she thought the money was an inheritance.
