A Hadleigh woman who transferred a £75,000 inheritance days before she filed for bankruptcy to avoid paying debts has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Sentencing 60-year-old Barbara Bentley, Recorder Gabrielle Posner described what she did as a “blatant attempt” to defraud her creditors and said her claims to a jury during her trial were an “incredible story”.

Bentley, of Yeoman Crescent, Hadleigh, had denied fraudulently disposing of property by making a gift while declared bankrupt but was convicted by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court last month.

She was given an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay £1,000 costs and £15,339 compensation to Babergh District Council.

During her trial, the court heard that Bentley was declared bankrupt on March 24, 2017, after submitting an online application the day before saying she was unable to pay debts totalling around £27,000 to Babergh District Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Leila Chaker, prosecuting for the Insolvency Service, said that 10 days prior to the application, Bentley transferred £75,000 into a bank account in the name of her son.

The court heard that Bentley had received an inheritance of £80,769 in 2014 following the death in 2011 of an aunt in Ontario, Canada, who had not left a will.

Giving evidence Bentley said she had never met her aunt, but had spoken to her several times a year over the phone.

She said she hadn't paid back the money she owed with the inheritance because it wasn’t her money and said she hadn’t given the money to her son when it came through in 2014 when he was 19 because he wasn't very good with money.

Shown a document describing her as the sole beneficiary of the inheritance, she accepted the money legally belonged to her but insisted her aunt wanted the money to go to her son.

The court heard Bentley owed £11,786 to Babergh District Council for housing benefit overpayment and a further £3,600 to the authority for council tax arrears.

She also owed £11,539 to the DWP for job seekers' allowance benefit overpayment.

The court heard that her debts to Babergh District Council were written off while the debt to the DWP was paid back in September 2017.

Oliver Haswell, for Bentley, who has no previous convictions, said she had made a “poor decision”.

He said the offence was committed five years ago and Bentley hadn’t reoffended.