A hustling great-grandmother - with previous fraud convictions - has avoided jail after making a string of dodgy bank transfers.

Jacqueline Sloat, 63, of Herne Bay, laundered £7,600 through various accounts after receiving the cash from grand-daughter Elysia Kupperblatt.

Kupperblatt, 26, and friend Sharriffa Nightingale, 27, admitted money laundering at a previous court hearing.

Bookkeeper Sloat, who has two previous fraud convictions, argued she transferred the money around various accounts after “pressing the wrong button”.

But a jury took an hour-and-a-half to unanimously convict her of acquiring and using criminal property on Thursday.

The money initially came from a complex internet scam in March 2016, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

Con artists hacked into Peterborough building firm Crestel Projects’ email account and discovered it owed £8,505 to Bestco Surfacing.

“This money may not have been spent so much on the weekly shop. But it might have been cash-backs or purchased gift cards, a well-known way of laundering small sums of money..." — Prosecutor Richard Hearnden

The crooks created an almost identical email address to Bestco’s and invoiced Crestel, the firm then paid up.

Foolishly, the bank account on the invoice was in Kupperblatt's name and registered to Sloat’s address.

Detectives discovered benefit claimant Kupperblatt transferred Sloat the funds, she then washed it through various accounts.

Using her company account Bay BookKeeping, Sloat then transferred Nightingale £7,600 which would swiftly drain in debit card purchases.

Prosecutor Richard Hearnden told the jury in a previous hearing: “This money may not have been spent so much on the weekly shop. But it might have been cash-backs or purchased gift cards, a well-known way of laundering small sums of money.”

She also transferred £2,300 to a man named Adedeyo Babatunde - he is still at large the barrister added.

John Barker, for Kupperblatt, said the mother-of-three's family would suffer "catastrophic consequences" if she was jailed.

The length of time the case has been hanging over her has also "taken its toll" on her physically and mentally, he added.

Kerry White, for Nightingale, said the mother-of-two had "learned her lesson and won't be troubling the courts again.

Oliver Kirk, for Sloat, argued his client suffers various illnesses and is a carer for Kupperblatt's three children, one of whom is disabled.

The barrister added she hadn't been in trouble for a long time and has been plagued by misfortune, after losing two husbands.

Before sentencing, Judge Catherine Brown today told Sloat: "It is an aggravating feature that you have previously been involved in dishonestly handling money."

Sloat, of Leighville Drive, was handed four months in custody suspended for one year, 20 rehabilitation activity days and placed on curfew.

Kupperblatt, previously of Sussex Close, Herne Bay but now living in Sweechgate, Canterbury who has two previous convictions for rail fare dodging and harassment, received a 20-week community order and house curfew.

Nightingale, of Dane Road, Margate, who has no previous convictions, was ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.

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