Fugitive gran is jailed after 14yrs on run

A FRAUDSTER who spent 14 years on the run in Spain and was caught after applying for a new passport has been jailed.

Helen Hegarty, 56, fled in 2004 before she was due to be sentenced for stealing almost £20,000 from the builders she worked for.

She was in court after being picked up on a European arrest warrant and was jailed for five months.

Hegarty had admitted using pre-signed cheques to credit her own account while working for Devington Construction Ltd, Truro crown court in Cornwall heard.

Judge Robert Linford said in Spain the gran-ofthree had led a “blameless and industrious life” but jailed her as a deterrent to stop others absconding. PAGE 38