A MUM-OF-THREE was forced to cancel her wedding after her “chief bridesmaid” falsified 15 fake email accounts to convince her she had secured a job working for Warrington Borough Council, a court heard today.

Kim Baker, the victim, met fraudster Helen Dove in June 2017 at a farm in Rainford, where the pair both had horses.

The women became friends and over time Kim explained how she worked for British Telecom but had qualifications and aspirations to work in children's mental health.

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Liverpool Crown Court was told how Dove claimed she worked for Warrington Borough Council as an adoption worker and that she could secure Kim a job in that department as a child safeguarding officer.

After “successfully applying for this job” via Dove, Ms Baker, who was then going by the name Ms McDonald, took voluntary redundancy from her BT job of 17 years to embark on her “new career”.

Despite receiving emails from 15 false accounts claiming to be from people working at Warrington Borough Council, she later learned that the three different jobs she was given were false and that Dove never in fact worked at Warrington Borough Council.

This led to more than £50,000 losses in earnings and included her having to cancel her wedding in June last year due to financial strain.

St Helens Star:

JAILED: Helen Dove

Today Dove, 31, from Prescot Road, St Helens was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for two years and eight months for two counts of fraud.

Police welcomed the sentencing of Dove with a police officer calling it a "really unusual case" adding I have never seen anything like it before in my career".

Speaking afterwards, the victim said she felt "destroyed emotionally but finally able to move on".

Paul Ward, prosecuting, said: "Ms Dove made everything look positive and told Ms McDonald that she would definitely get said job and that they were desperate for new members in her department.

"Ms McDonald took voluntary redundancy and secured another job in the interim, but Ms Dove said having that job could risk her furthering her career saying in a text 'It is not worth risking losing this job' so Ms McDonald let that job.

"She completed two application forms from Warrington Borough Council and an interview date was set and cancelled.

"She was then told to answer questions via email and a few days later received an email where she was told she got the job of an adoption worker at Warrington Borough Council.

“Dove sent a congratulations card and Ms McDonald accepted that position.

"Over the next seven months she was told she had three different positions of an adoption worker, manager of a team and director of children's services and for this latter job she was told she would receive a pay increase of £43,500 and a company car.

"She was given a number of excuses as to why she was not paid during this time from false aliases including computer systems crashing, Ofsted inspections and the weather being too bad from snow as well as reasons why Health and Safety could not meet her from down south.

“She was sent thousands of emails from 15 fake accounts. Dove was responsible for all of these emails."

The court heard how Kim became suspicious and after questioning Dove, went to the Cunard Building in Liverpool for a meeting with someone who she learned did not exist.

She then went to Warrington Borough Council and met with the manager of the human resources department who checked on his system which goes back more than nine years.

He could not "find any trace of Helen Dove ever having worked for Warrington Borough Council."

St Helens Star:

Victim Kim Baker and partner Paul Baker after Dove's sentencing

Kim, 43, from The Shires, said: "Helen was someone I thought was my best friend and I trusted her wholeheartedly.

"She minded my children and was to be the chief bridesmaid at my wedding.

"When I found out what she did, needlessly and for no reason, I couldn't believe it.

“This is more than just loss of money. My future in laws thought I was involved in this as my partner Phil had to help me to pay bills, which put huge strain on our family.

"We were supposed to be married in June 2019 but we were forced to cancel which was heartbreaking and something I don't think I'll ever get over.

“I felt manipulated and controlled for the 18 months of our friendship and I had suicidal thoughts due to depression and stress.

"What Helen did to me has destroyed me emotionally but I feel like I will finally be able to move on now she is in jail."

Sentencing her, Judge Robert Warnock said: "I do not have a clear understanding as to why you behaved in this way and for such a long period. You have no previous convictions.

"In an attempt to understand why you behaved in the way you did, the court has obtained a psychiatric report that stated that you felt you wanted to 'help' the victim and to create 'a family for her'.

"I simply do not accept that explanation.

"The starting point for this offence after trial with a loss of approximately £50,000 is three years imprisonment.

“However the personal, social and psychological hard caused to your victim is considerable and justifies a modest upwards shift within the category range applicable.

“I have considered the issue of compensation, sadly there do not appear to be any or any sufficient resources which an order could attach. The statutory charge will apply.

"The least sentence I can pass in all the circumstance and consistent with my public duty is two years and eight months concurrent on each account. That is the sentence of this court."

She was also handed a 10 year restraining order from the victim.