A woman has revealed her shock after her friend stole hundreds of pounds she and her mates had given her for a girls' trip to Turkey.
Lea Aimes, 42, from Belfast, has spoken out after Terri Rigby, a care assistant from Southport , pinched the money intended for a trip to Marmaris.
Lea and pal Nicola Irvine, 24, had sent Terri money for the trip to save them the hassle of paying separately through Thomas Cook.
The 42-year-old had been looking forward to the holiday that was supposed to be a break after a horrific car crash which left her “lucky to be alive.”
She told the Liverpool Echo how she hoped returning to Marmaris - where she first met friend Terri four years ago - would give her "a break away in a place I felt comfortable and familiar in".
However, it wasn't until nearly four months after the trip was booked back in September 2018, that Lea discovered it had been cancelled because Terri has pocketed the cash for herself.
Rigby, 36, changed her plea to guilty for taking a total of £344 from Lea Aimes and £348 from Nicola Irvine at Sefton Magistrates on Thursday afternoon.
Lea was left feeling confused, and then angry, about the betrayal.
She said: “The whole point of the holiday was to get me out of the house and to put me in a relaxing environment with two people I trusted.
“I knew if I was feeling down or having a bad day I could rely on them - that's why I agreed to go on the holiday.
“What made me feel worse was that Nicola was paying Terri on my say so. I vouched for her and said that she was a good person and that you could trust her.
"I'm embarrassed. To make me look foolish on top of taking the money and lying to me - I still don’t understand why."
Lea said how she first discovered the trip had been cancelled when she logged into her Thomas Cook account on Christmas Day.
At first Terri reassured her that "it definitely has been paid”, but Lea says she was later ignored, and eventually blocked on WhatsApp.
Speaking on behalf of herself and friend Nicola, Lea added: “We couldn't understand what had happened. We've never had an argument or any disagreements.
“I thought 'that’s my friend' and why, when we’ve never had as much as a cross word, would she suddenly do a 360 and make me look stupid?
“I thought I could trust her because you have to be a certain type of person to work with the elderly."
Lea added: “I always said to her 'If you need anything you can come and talk to me.'
"I know I'm in Belfast but she always knew that my door was always open. I would have understood, I know what it's like to struggle with money and to manage things."
The court heard how Rigby, who works as a care assistant at a Southport hospital, went on to take a number of payments from her friends, with £344 from Aimes and £348 from Irvine.
Mr Ali, who was appointed by the court as defence for Rigby, who came to court unrepresented, claimed the defendant was "going through financial difficulties" at the time she took the money.
Mr Ali asked magistrates to consider during sentencing that Rigby is a single mum of four who works with vulnerable people in the NHS.
Rigby was given a £1,522 fine from the court for her actions which she agreed to pay back in monthly installments of £100 starting in the next 28 days.
Magistrates warned a failure to repay the fine would result in other steps being taken to collect it including bailiffs.
