A charity shop volunteer said she has endured the worst year of her life after being falsely accused of stealing money.

Great-grandmother Brenda Caldwell, 67, of Bath Road, South Willesborough, was wrongly accused of taking £900 from the Friends of William Harvey Hospital charity shop between June and October last year.

After a three-day trial earlier this month, a jury at Canterbury Crown Court took just half-an-hour to clear her of three charges of theft.

The grandmother-of-seven and mother-of-five, pictured left, said: "I'm not the sort of person who is vindictive, but it's been the worst year of my life I think.

"It's just been horrible because people that I worked with and thought were my friends have snubbed me in the street.

"I still don't feel happy now that I've been exonerated and found not guilty. I still don't feel back to normal.

"It was all very nasty and it's been a year of absolute hell."

Mrs Caldwell worked at the shop for three years as a paid worker before joining as a volunteer for more than a year.

"I thoroughly enjoyed working in the shop," she said. "I decided to work there because I wanted to give something back to the hospital after my husband Paul died there 10 years ago.

"He had a massive brain haemorrage and died in intensive car but they took such good care of him.

Brenda Caldwell worked at the Friends of William Harvey charity shop

"I just feel I've been treated so badly. In court the judge was saying that so much money was going missing, I think questions need to be asked.

"It's a charity that's supposed to be buying equipment for the hospital. Nobody seems to know where the money is going and nothing is being done about it."

She added: "I've never taken anything in my life. Why would I start now? It's absolutely ridiculous.

"I just don’t think I deserved it. I've never been particularly well off but I've earned every penny I've had.

"I didn't do it and that's all there is to it," she said. "I still haven't got over it. It's going to take quite a while. It's knocked me for six really. I'm not looking for compensation but I just want an apology."

The Friends of William Harvey Hospital did not respond to requests for comment.