Daughter who worked with Beauly mum on £35k con scheme is warned she faces jail
A woman who conned her family in a fake Hollywood actress scam faces jail after she failed to repay the cash.
Heather Dunlop (40) claimed to her loved ones that she had signed million pound contracts.
She and mum Ann Dunlop (69), from Beauly, convinced her brother David Bunton (52) to hand Heather cash to help her make the breakthrough,
A court heard Heather claimed she was mingling with A-listers such as Leonardo Di Caprio and Beyonce as well as being managed by US entertainment executive Irving Azoff.
Mr Azoff told the court by letter he had never met Heather.
Heather's auntie Jean and her uncle Steve Allen were also induced with the string of lies.
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Steve believed Heather and Ann had "champagne on tap" at the plush London home they shared and told the court 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 was convicted at Glasgow Sheriff Court last August of defrauding her family of a total of £35,368 while Heather, of Kent, pleaded guilty a similar charge.
Both were ordered by Sheriff Vincent Lunny to pay the money back to the Buntons before this week's sentencing.
The sheriff asked Heather directly how much she has paid back and she replied: "None."
She 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 her that she told a social worker in a recent background report that she would be able to pay £31,500 to the Buntons.
However, she claimed that the money - apparently from other family members - was "no longer available" to her.
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 Dunlop 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 reached £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."