A young mum who stole £1,500 from her own grandad to spend on Costa Coffee's and Uber's will remain his primary carer.
Teesside Magistrates' Court heard how Shannon Watson, 25, used her grandfather's bank card over a three month period to pay for items without asking for his permission.
Her grandad only knew the money had disappeared from his bank account when he tried to make a purchase on his card and it was declined, TeessideLive reported.
Shannon, a mum-of-one, admitted a charge of fraud and had previously been cautioned for a similar offence in which she had taken £3,000 from her grandfather.
Prosecutor Liz Winchester told the court the recent theft took place between March and June of this year and in total £1,572.15 was taken.
The court was told that Shannon is still the main carer for her grandfather and he does not support the prosecution against her.
She said: "The injured party has on June 30 attended his bank to withdraw funds and at that point his card has been declined as there was no funds."
The court heard how the grandfather investigated further and found a number of the withdrawals had not been made by him.
Shannon admitted to having used the card to pay for items - and the bank refunded the money so there was no claim for compensation.
David Dedman, defending, said Shannon did not use the card to go and buy herself an expensive item, it was used for small things, such as a Costa coffee or an Uber, which all mounted up over time.
She was also the main carer for her grandmother, who recently died, and some of the money was used as part of caring duties and visiting her grandmother in hospital.
He added his client was brought up by her grandparents and she and her grandfather have a very close relationship.
He said: "He benefits a lot from the relationship he has with her."
A spokesperson for the probation service said: "She is truly sorry. She feels like she has let her grandparents down."
She said Shannon was under a significant amount of pressure with looking after her grandparents and her young son.
Mr Dedman said she believed her grandfather would be ok with her using the card - although she admitted she didn't ask him.
She said the defendant, who suffered from depression, anxiety and PTSD, struggles to ask for help.
Shannon, who admitted one count of fraud by false representation, was given a 16-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 20 RAR days.
She was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £128.
