Bilston fraudster with gambling addiction appears in court after holiday in sun

After pleading guilty to two charges of fraud, Gail Henshall went on a holiday to Gran Canaria. Her ex-lover Mario Troisi stood trial for money laundering earlier this month.

Troisi, aged 52, of Yale Road, Willenhall, was found guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court of laundering more than £200,000 of the money Henshall had illegally obtained through his bank account.

Judge Alan Parker ordered Henshall, 48, of Hazel Grove, Bilston, to surrender to her bail. Henshall, who obtained £296,025 by using clients' details to make false tax rebate claims and then gambled as much as £9,000 a day, did so at Warwick Crown Court.

Told that Henshall has been admitted to Penn psychiatric hospital, the judge said: "It is clear she is fit to attend court because she has done so."

He asked where she had been on holiday and was told by her solicitor Jibran Mirza she had been to Gran Canaria and had returned on July 20.

Judge Parker said: "Having arranged her fortnight to coincide with the period during which Mr Mario Troisi was being tried, she came back on Monday but is now so psychiatrically unwell that she's been admitted to a psychiatric hospital."

Asked by the judge about two suicide attempts Henshall was said to have made, Mr Mirza said: "One was three days after she left for the holiday in Gran Canaria, and the other was on the July 20 as soon as she returned to this country."

The judge said: "You will forgive me if I express some cynicism. She managed to obtain the best part of a quarter of a million pounds by deceiving HM Revenue and Customs, so is a confident trickster, and managed to book a holiday at the time."

The court heard Henshall is a voluntary patient at Penn Hospital.

Judge Parker granted her bail – but imposed conditions that she resides at the hospital, surrenders her passport and does not apply for any international travel documents.