A chief of staff to a former South East Ukip MEP has admitted being involved in a scam over a meal bill in Thanet.

Christine Hewitt, from Townsend Square, King’s Hill had paid £950 for the party bash in The Hoy pub in March last year.

But the 55-year-old, who worked for sacked MEP Janice Atkinson, who infamously referred to a Thai woman as a “ting tong”, asked the restaurant to give her a £3,150 bill.

A judge at Canterbury Crown Court heard that the inflated bill would then have been sent to an organisation funded ultimately by British taxpayers.

But the owner of the Margate restaurant was furious at the rip-off and tipped off a national newspaper, who filmed Hewitt and sent the tape to police.

The chief of staff was arrested and charged with a fraud offence, while Ms Atkinson was sacked from Ukip but denied having anything to do with the foiled scam.

Ms Atkinson was later dropped as the party’s candidate for Folkestone and Hythe.

Hewitt, who was tearful during the 20-minute hearing, was told by the judge she would not be going to jail and sentencing was adjourned until Wednesday pending a probation report.