A dishonest grandmother who avoided jail for preying on her ailing mother-in-law may have to sell her home worth more than £500,000 to pay back the £82,501 she stole, a court heard.

Great grandmother Caroline Sklayne, a former nurse who suffers from Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia, was left with just £4,000 in her bank account by the time her son realised his ex-wife, Susanne Robinson, had been thieving for more than eight years.

The ex-teacher, of Maidstone Road, Chatham, used the money, comprising savings, an NHS pension and property rental income, to “upkeep the family household”.

The 55-year-old’s expenditure included food, vet bills, schooling, car maintenance, Ikea furniture, video games, driving and piano lessons and regular cash withdrawals of up to £300 at a time.

Robinson admitted in July three offences of theft between January 15, 2007 and July 1, 2015.

Her home was said to be valued at around £518,000 when she appeared at Maidstone Crown Court for a confiscation hearing.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said she had two mortgages which were “very shadowy and inadequately proved” involving £273,000.

“It means she has assets vastly in excess of the benefit,” he added.

Sahara Fergus-Simms, defending, submitted it was not a proper valuation of the house as it was from Zoopla.

But the judge said it could not be so wrong that her assets did not exceed the benefit.

Taking loans into consideration, he said, the valuation would have to be about £162,000 “adrift”.

In reply to a request for an adjournment, Judge Macdonald said: “I can’t see it is going to achieve anything, except putting off the evil day.”

Prosecutor Steve Attridge said an application by Robinson to vacate her guilty plea had been rejected and she was taking the matter to the Appeal Court – a move the judge suggested had “an extremely slender prospect of success”.

Miss Fergus-Simms requested an adjournment for four months. Robinson’s son, she said, had severe autism and was very unwell.

But the judge made a compensation order in the sum of £82,681, to be paid to Mrs Sklayne within five months, with 14 months imprisonment in default.

“It seems the defendant will have to sell or take a further charge on her home,” he said.

“There can be an application for a further three months (to pay).

"There is no doubt these were acts of theft in breach of a high degree of trust and responsibility" - Judge Charles Macdonald

“It will be conditional on the defendant saying what reasonable efforts have been made in the meantime to dispose of the property.”

Robinson's dishonesty was discovered when Mrs Sklayne's mental health deteriorated and her son Stephen Pitcher was informed the State could no longer continue to fund her residential care.

Until then, he had been led to believe by Robinson, who had responsibility for her mother-in-law's financial affairs, was being paid for out of the pensioner's own money.

Mr Pitcher then discovered the numerous purchases and cash withdrawals made from his mother's account.

Of the money taken, £25,828 was from Mrs Sklayne's NHS pension fund alone.

A further £2,100 came from renting out Mrs Skylayne's home in Neville Road, Chatham, and should have been paid to Mr Pitcher's half-brother, Martin Sklayne, who owned the property.

Robinson was spared jail after a judge described her as “a devoted daughter-in-law”.

He also disagreed with a suggestion she had deliberately targeted the pensioner.

Suspending two years imprisonment for two years, Recorder Gareth Branston trembling Robinson she was of positive good character, and thought of as “intelligent, dedicated and generous” by family and friends supporting her.

He also said that although her stealing was “an awful breach of trust”, it was appropriate to impose a suspended sentence.

"You were not entitled to take the money in the way you did,” he said.

“Whether your lifestyle was extravagant or merely made more comfortable, you had stolen from your mother-in-law.

"There is no doubt these were acts of theft in breach of a high degree of trust and responsibility.

"Caroline Sklayne had put her trust in you and Stephen Pitcher had put his trust in you.

"She was also very vulnerable, but I refute the suggestion that you targeted her.

"These were offences that grew out of opportunities that you had because of the position of trust in which you were placed."

Recorder Branston added: "I have no reason to doubt that while your mother-in-law has been unwell, you have been towards her a devoted daughter-in-law, visiting her, taking her out shopping and doing many things for her."

Robinson was also ordered to complete 200 hours unpaid work and pay £1,500 court costs.