A woman who conned her family out of more than £30,000 in a fake Hollywood actress scam faces jail after she failed to repay a single penny of the cash.
Heather Dunlop, 40, claimed to her loved ones that she had signed million-pound contracts.
She and her Highland mum Ann Dunlop, 69, convinced her brother David Bunton, 52, to hand Heather cash to help her make the breakthrough,
A court heard Heather was mingling with A-listers such as Leonardo Di Caprio and Beyonce as well as being managed by US entertainment executive Irving Azoff.
Pack of lies
Heather’s auntie Jean and her uncle Steve Allen were also induced with the string of lies.
Steve believed Heather and Ann had “champagne on tap” at their plush London home.
He stated that the family were “like the Waltons” but ended up “like the Dingles”.
Steve stated Heather’s acting career was a “best-kept secret” and compared it to the nuclear codes at Faslane.
Steve and Jean went on to pay Heather and Ann’s gas as well as council tax bills due to their money problems.
Ann, from Beauly, was convicted last August to defrauding her family a total of £35,368 at Glasgow Sheriff Court while Heather, of Kent, pled guilty a similar charge.
None of the money repaid
Both were ordered by Sheriff Vincent Lunny to pay the money back to the Buntons before today’s sentencing.
The sheriff asked Heather directly how much she had paid back and she replied: “None.”
Heather went on to claim that she currently has £14,200 in her bank account which she will give to the Buntons.
The sheriff put it to Heather that she told a social worker in a recent background report that she would be able to pay £31,500 to the Buntons.
However, Heather claimed that the money – apparently from other family members – was “no longer available” to her.
Final warning before jail
The sheriff said: “Taking £35,000 passes the custodial threshold as this is a jailable offence.
“Unless I see some of this money being repaid and it is not pure fantasy, I will just jail you.”
The sheriff also stated to Ann that he may look at an alternative sentence for her after a fresh background report is completed.
The matter will recall next month for the £14,200 to be paid to the Buntons.
Sheriff Lunny said: “Once the figure reaches £20,000 I can impose a compensation order and matters can be dealt with in the court.
“The maximum I can impose is £10,000 on each of you.
“If this is not paid, I can revoke the order and do what I need to do.”
