Callous Kelly Sue Boyce duped a friend into giving her money, believing it was to pay for her son’s funeral - when in fact she used the cash to buy drugs.

The devious 30-year-old addict also claimed she needed cash to get to a London hospital where her child was being treated.

But now a judge has heard Boyce’s claims were just a pack of lies to get cash to feed her heroin and cocaine habits.

Prosecutor Sharn Mardner told Canterbury Crown Court how Boyce, of Bluebell Road, Ashford, targeted her first victim, Andrew Valentine, who she had befriended.

Now Boyce has been jailed for two years after Judge Simon James told her: “Your conduct was mean, manipulating, and I am quite satisfied your conduct deserves a custodial sentence.”

The prosecutor said Boyce and Mr Valentine had known each other for several months and she had conned cash out of him by claiming she needed money for her son’s funeral in London and for attending hospital.

“Your conduct was mean, manipulating, and I am quite satisfied your conduct deserves a custodial sentence” - Judge Simon James

Ms Mardner said: "Then she asked to borrow Mr Valentine’s tablet, promising to return it. It was never returned."

And when Mr Valentine became suspicious, she stole cash from his trousers, telling him: “I haven’t taken it, you can search me.”

But when he turned around, she had gone, added the prosecutor.

In February last year, she became “so desperate and out of control” she confronted support worker Myra Richardson as she crossed Beaver Street, Ashford.

Ms Mardner said Boyce, who was “twitching”, then told the woman her son had been involved in an accident and she needed to get to hospital and asked for money.

She became scared when she noticed Boyce was holding a knife, and the police were called and arrested her.

Kieran Moroney, defending, said that after being remanded into custody, Boyce had trained as a fitness trainer and had tackled her drugs addiction.

He said: “There seems to be an acceptance that there was some kind of bizarre relationship between her and Mr Valentine.

“But she accepts that she had lied to him about her son.”

The judge said that at the time of committing the offences she was hooked on drugs “and had clearly lost all sense of right and wrong”.

He added: “You were in such a state that it seems to me you would have done almost anything to obtain money for drugs.”

Boyce admitted two charges of fraud, two thefts and threatening a person with a weapon.