A finance worker fleeced her grandmother out of huge sums before intercepting her mail and phone calls, jurors have ruled.

Amanda Farr, 47, was unanimously convicted today of defrauding Joyce Hutchings out of £24,069, while caring for her in Whitstable.

Farr argued during her trial at Canterbury Crown Court this week Ms Hutchings, 91, consented to handing over the cash.

But the jury saw through her lies after hearing how the ill-gotten gains were siphoned, hidden and then wasted on sites like JustEat, McDonald’s, iTunes and the Playstation Store.

Giving evidence, Farr claimed the financial arrangement was above-board, with much of the money spent on her grandmother who “liked her food" during the period of offending, between December 2017 and September 2019.

Trying to explain where unaccounted money had gone, she pointed the finger at Ms Hutchings, claiming she was a “big eater” of oriental cuisine.

She said Ms Hutchings could spend up to £20 a week on sugary treats, £180 sending her pet to “dog school” and would shell out £35 a time to have the animal walked.

But the prosecution earlier this week told jurors Farr stole and wasted the cash on takeaways from JustEat and McDonald’s, as well as on iTunes and the Playstation Store.

Farr argued the 130 transactions – which also included William Hill bets and an Amsterdam holiday – were consensual and designed to benefit the whole family.

Also living at the Plough Lane address was Farr’s mum, her own daughter and partner, the court heard.

Farr told jurors the family pitched money into “one pot”, while she was tasked to manage the purse-strings.

But the former finance worker said she was ill-equipped to manage the outgoings, with their home “heamorrhaging money” due to repairs and decorating works.

She argued her mum spent large sums of the kitty online for high-end items, while her partner made numerous consented video game purchases.

“There was no arrangement for you to take over the family finances and there was no discussion with Joyce about what you were doing with her money,” prosecutor Kieran Brand said on Friday.

“Yes there was,” Farr replied under cross-examination.

“Which is why you were trying to cover your tracks,” Mr Brand probed.

“No,” said Farr.

“You were intercepting her and your mother’s post, you intercepted the post didn’t you.”

“No,” Farr said.

“You were hiding [the bills] weren’t you, because you were spending money on holidays and gambling,” Mr Brand continued.

“No,” Farr protested.

“Which is why [the bills] were tucked away under your bed.”

“It wasn’t under my bed,” said Farr.

Opening the case, Mr Brand claimed Farr used a criminal technique dubbed “layering” in an attempt to hide the money.

After skimming Ms Hutchings’ account via online banking, she would rapidly transfer various amounts between her own current and savings account to blur the lines between legally and criminally held cash, Mr Brand said.

He also accused Farr of “strong-arming” her daughter into providing a false statement to the courts, in a bid to pervert the course of justice.

But jurors unanimously cleared her of the charge on Friday.

Farr, now of Windham Avenue, New Addington, Croydon and represented by Ali Dewji, will be sentenced on March 23 at the same court pending probation reports.