'Dr' Sarah Sims seemed the perfect candidate for the £50,000 a year post of Operations Director to the Ferndearle Child Care Services in Folkestone.

The 41 year old’s CV included a 1 Class BA (Hons), a 1 Class MA (Hons) and a 1 Class Doctorate of Philosophy from the London University.

Her previous post had been a “Lead Welfare Officer” with the MOD and she received a glowing testimonial from her line manager Sgt Major Darren Pugh.

Three-times married Sims, who lives in a £1m home at The Manor, Lower Weddington Farm Road, Ash, told her employers she was also a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychology.

And she had been awarded the title of “Ladyship” from Warwick University for community “good works”.

"The University of Warwick, while conferring awards, never confer titles such as Ladyship" - - Prosecutor Piers Reed

Only the blonde genius with “more psychiatric qualifications than Freud” has now been branded a brazen liar by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court.

The jury decided she had committed fraud to land her prestigious post and obtain loan to re-mortgage her home.

She had claimed she was at Birkbeck College between 1991 and 1998, getting her BA Honours Degree in Psychology in 1994.

Two years later she obtained a Masters in Psychology and a doctorate in on Behavioural Psychology in 1998.

But it was revealed that London University’s Birkbeck College has NO record of any of the qualifications and Warwick University never awards Ladyships and the BACP have no record of her membership.

She even claimed to have obtained a Diploma and a PhD from Mexico University!

Now the dodgy “doctor” faces sentencing next month after the jury convicted her of four fraud charges – which also included lying to get a mortgage on her luxury home.

In her job application for Ferndearle, a home which offers help to vulnerable and disadvantaged youngsters, she said her “line manager” in the army was a Sgt Major Darren Pugh, but he turned out to be her 48-year-old husband.

Pugh, who was found not guilty of fraud, held his wife’s hand in the dock as the jury returned guilty verdicts on five fraud charges.

Prosecutor Piers Reed told how Sims applied for the post at Ferndearle in February 2011 saying she was considering leaving the army.

“She said she was a doctor of psychology and was interested in working for Fearndale. She contacted the manager and part-owner of the home and arranged to the visit.”

The prosecutor alleged that Sims told the manager about her life in the army and the fact her husband was also in the army.

He added: “Mr Pugh had been in the army but not at that time. In her job application, she stated she had been a student at London University and had obtained a BA in Psychology, an MA and Phd in Behavioural Psychology.

“Under the heading she said she was a member of BCAP and under the Awards heading stated that in May 1997 she had been awarded a ladyship from Warwick University for services to the community.”

“BCAP doesn’t exist. The British Psychological Society and the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy do exist but neither have ever heard of her" - Prosecutor Piers Reed

But the prosecutor said that when police made checks on a Sarah Jane Sims, born on May 24 1973, they discovered there were no records of her ever being a student at London University.

Mr Reed added: “BCAP doesn’t exist. The British Psychological Society and the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy do exist but neither have ever heard of her.

“And the University of Warwick, while conferring awards, never confer titles such as ‘Ladyship’. In her CV she also claimed to worked as a lead consultant director for a company called EIS. There are no records of her ever working for EIS.”

Mr Reed also revealed that Sims obtained a mortgage on her property after telling the Halifax she was earning between £80,000 to £150,000.

In fact at the time she was jobless.

She was given bail and will be sentenced next month after the preparation of probation reports.

The Lies:

• Sims produced three documents purporting to be original academic transcripts. None of the signatures were recognised as genuine by the university.
• MOD enquiries had no record of Sims ever working with the army in any capacity.
• Sims admitted lying in her job application – but claimed she was coerced into it byFerndearlestaff.
• In the witness box she had to admit she could produce no photographs from all her years at university including any graduation pictures.
• She named two referees for her application, a Gary and Lynne ‘Sims’ from Orchard End, The Drove,Chestfield– saying they were her “therapeutic supervisors” - they wereherparents and that was their home address.