Mother who went on designer spending spree after council accidentally put £50,000 into her bank account reveals her shame but asks: 'What would you do?'

  • Michaela Hutchings spent £9,000 on shopping and gave mother £1,000
  • She put £40,000 into a savings account before she was caught by police
  • She has asked people to 'put themselves in her shoes' before they judge

By Amanda Williams

Published: 03:23 EST, 6 April 2014 | Updated: 07:04 EST, 6 April 2014

A mother who went on a huge shopping spree after she discovered £52,000 had mistakenly been put into her bank account has defended her actions.

In a case which has divided moral opinion, Michaela Hutchings, 23, spent £9,000 on expensive designer shoes, handbags and sunglasses in a two-day spending splurge after finding the transfer from her council.

She also gave her mother £1,000 in cash, and put £40,000 into a savings account, before she was caught by police on April 24 last year.

Cheers: Michaela Hutchings went on a spending spree after she found her £52,000 in her bank account. She was on Monday found guilty of dishonesty and retaining a wrongly credited bank transfer

Cheers: Michaela Hutchings went on a spending spree after she found her £52,000 in her bank account. She was on Monday found guilty of dishonesty and retaining a wrongly credited bank transfer

While some have taken to social media sites to criticise her since her appearance at Stafford Crown Court, others - including her family - have defended her actions, claiming that 'anyone would have done the same.'

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Miss Hutchings said: 'All of this is my fault and I feel so sorry. I put my family in a position where they are being looked down on by everyone.

She described the day that she discovered the money, after going to the shop to buy some milk.

'Then when I went to the cashpoint to take out some money I checked my balance and ­everything changed. There was over £50,000 in there. I didn’t know what to do. Who would?'

 

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She claims that when she asked the cashier where the money had come from, she could not say.

She added that had she known it was from the council she would not have touched it.

A 'selfie' taken by Hutchings: Her family say he simply 'seized a good opportunity' and did what any other young person would have done
The 23-year-old spent £9,000 on designer shoes, handbags and sunglasses in a two-day splurge after finding the transfer from her council

'Seizing a good opportunity': Hutchings in self-shot pictures posted online. The 23-year-old spent £9,000 on designer shoes, handbags and sunglasses in a two-day splurge after finding the transfer from her council

The young mother said that her former boyfriend - who is currently in custody awaiting trial for drug related offences - told her to keep the money.

WHAT'S THE LAW ON 'FREE' CASH?

Under the 1968 Theft Act, if you realise money has been paid into your bank account by mistake, you must repay it.

Keeping the unexpected windfall could lead to a charge of ‘dishonestly retaining wrongful credit’ and to a prison sentence of up to  ten years.

In rare cases defendants have successfully argued that they did not realise they had been paid the money in error and have not had to return it.

She added: 'But also, part of me liked the idea that I suddenly had all that money. I was a single mum – money isn’t always easy. But this was not how I was brought up.'

Hutchings was found guilty of dishonesty and retaining a wrongly credited bank transfer when she appeared at Stafford Crown Court last week.

Recorder Derek Desmond accepted she had been encouraged to spend by her boyfriend.

Hutchings, who works part-time at her parents’ vehicle hire company, was given a 12-month community order and told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard an administrative error meant Lichfield District Council accidentally transferred £52,000 into her account. Hutchings allegedly ignored repeated phone calls and visits and claimed she thought the money was an inheritance.

She has signed forms for police to release the £40,000 she invested back to the council.

Although her crime carries a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment, she was spared jail after ­admitting the offences.

She said that her one bad decision had changed her life: 'I did wrong and I’m sorry but before you judge me put yourself in my shoes.'

 

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Good shes been spared jail.

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Anyone with the most basic level of education and brain would check with their bank before spending money which appeared in their account unexpectedly not go on a spending spree!! and hope for a soft judge like she got.

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I Think she is daft for spending it but cant help but feel that its the fault of the council in the first place after if you drop your wallet and someone spends the money inside it its still tour fault for not taking more care over it surely theft is only theft if the intent is to remove another person's property ?

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It just goes to show how careless councils are with our money, has any of these overpaid up themselves council "officers" lost their job over this.

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Spending someone money when it's not yours is a poor idea. It's not yours, they'll want it back and as sure as little apples they'll take you for everything you have just as you're getting over the champagne hang over. Councils, bank and insurance companies are very similar to the mafia ...you don't mess with them as they rapidly forget the how to be human where money is concerned. Be very frightened because, though it's a nice thought to spent their money, you''l pay dearly for your mistake.

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She shouldn't judge others Morals as lacking as her own.

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I pay my taxes and work hard, so I will judge. She is a thief, plain and simple. I would not spend it and can say that from experience. Barclays put money in my account that wasn't mine, a large amount. I called into the branch to investigate and it was their error, they thanked me, took it out and paid me a small amount to say thank you.

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You can't compromise integrity. It was dishonest and she knew it. Full stop.

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Sorry no sympathy. You are either an honest person or you are not. There is no such thing as being a wee bit dishonest. It's like being a wee bit pregnant!

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My first move would be to check that it was a mistake. My second would be to move it to a separate high interest account. My third would be to pay it back at a vey low rate so I could make as much as possible from the councils mistake. When councils make mistakes in their favour and eventually decide to refund your money they move with the alacrity of a stunned slug so they get as much benefit from your money. So if this happened to me they would wait until I was prepared to refund them

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