A former Swindon Town Football Club mascot-turned-escort defrauded a man out of thousands of pounds, a court heard.
Kristina ‘Kirstie’ Diaz Benitez, 40, denied 24 counts of fraud by false representation but she was convicted following her trial in April this year.
The defendant, of Gipsy Lane, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court this morning to be sentenced for her crime spree between October and November 2018.
Crown prosecutor Kate Prince said mother-of-three Diaz Benitez met her victim when she was working as an escort. The man – named Mr B for the purpose of this report – was said to have paid her for companionship.
The court heard Mr B provided food to her and her family and purchased things on her behalf as part of the escorting agreement.
One day, he received information that his bank account was in debt. On investigation, it was found that around £3,100 had been spent on 24 Amazon orders using his debit card which she had previously been allowed to use.
At trial, evidence showed that the orders had been sent to Diaz Benitez and magistrates found her guilty of all of the counts of fraud.
Mr B has suffered from anxiety and depression as a result of her crimes against him, Ms Prince said. Adding that he had taken time off work.
Defending, Emma Hillier said the defendant has a 17-year-old daughter and two twins to support and is likely to lose her job as a trampoline coach following her conviction.
It was said she has debts of around £38,000 being dealt with by an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) and faces bankruptcy. Her house is also at risk.
“It’s tricky. I agree that he [Mr B] should be compensated, but she simply doesn’t have the funds”, Ms Hiller commented.
District judge Joanna Dickens imposed a one-year community order with 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
No compensation was awarded to her victim, who left the public gallery angry and upset about the ruling after the court heard he had to withdraw £3,000 from his pension to pay the debt.
