A woman who posed as a charity collector, taking cash donated to the needy and terminally ill, has been jailed – after stealing the purse of an 89-year-old woman she was supposed to be looking after.

Michelle Roberts has been sentenced to 180 days in prison after she stole the pensioner's purse while on community service.

Roberts made the news in June after taking cash from six shops, pubs and cafes by pretending she was a collector from charities, including Demelza.

On at least three occasions, she took her 15-year-old son with her and claimed he was being treated by the hospice.

The 43-year-old, pictured left, appeared before magistrates again after failing to appear at two previous hearings – the most recent, two days earlier, when she said a dodgy kebab had left her unwell.

Roberts eventually appeared via a video link after a warrant was put out for her arrest. She admitted pocketing the purse.

Lynda Huppatz, prosecuting, said that on August 5 at Age Concern in Gravesend, Roberts helped herself to a purse containing £20 from an 89-year-old woman she was helping.

She said: "Mrs Roberts was performing unpaid work following a community order. Her role was to cook food for the elderly visitors.

"i have lost faith in people and cannot trust people outside my own family…” – Michelle Roberts's victim

"She was helping one of the visitors, a Mrs Baldwin, pushing her wheelchair on to the minibus. Once on, Mrs Baldwin moved to a seat and Mrs Roberts took her handbag from her wheelchair and put it on her seat. Mrs Baldwin then saw her put her right hand in and pull her hand out quickly and into her cardigan pocket.

"As soon as she got off the bus, she checked her bag and found her purse was missing. Mrs Roberts then said she found the purse in a satchel on some spare wheelchairs."

An impact statement was read out in court on behalf of the 89-year-old woman.

She said: "I feel disgusted this person has stolen from me. I have lost faith in people and cannot trust people outside my own family."

James Foong, defending, said Roberts's suspended sentence would normally be automatically activated, but explained this incident was an "exceptional circumstance".

Mr Foong said: "Prior to that sentence, she had never been in trouble with the police and worked as a care assistant at Bupa. There were six counts of fraud for collecting charity boxes but she had never done anything like that before.

"Her past had crept up on her. she'd previously been a victim of domestic violence that had coloured her relationships with men. Her partner started gambling and was getting pay day loans and visiting loan sharks.

"They lost their house and had to move into rented accommodation. Her partner became violent towards her and this affected her greatly."

Roberts was given 60 days in prison for the purse theft, at which point she gasped.

Her previously suspended sentence of 180 days was also activated and run alongside it, meaning she would be jailed for a total of 180 days.