Conditional discharge for Kerry mum
The agoraphobic mother of reality TV star Kerry Katona left her house for the first time in two years - to be sentenced for benefit fraud.
Susan Katona, 48, who has a crippling fear of open spaces, claimed she had little income or capital despite having in excess of £46,000 in the bank, Runcorn Magistrates' Court heard.
Katona, who also suffers from clinical depression, walked free from court with a conditional discharge saying: "I need a cigarette, I need a cigarette."
Outside court, dressed in a light purple suit, she said her famous daughter had not spoken to her about the case and said: "This started out as a legitimate claim and it was an innocent mistake," as she cried and hugged a friend.
Katona admitted two counts of benefits fraud from July 2006 to March last year. She wrongly claimed income support and council tax totalling £6,393 - but the charges only covered a period which saw her pocket £3,342.
However, she is paying it all back at £8 a week and has already paid £1,000 and £770 for council tax.
Mark Lever, prosecuting, said Katona - who has been on benefits since November 1994 - began claiming lawfully but did not notify the authorities when she got money from her daughter and from a publisher writing about Kerry.
He said Katona, of Dickenson Street, Warrington, knew she was breaking the rules because she read and a signed a declaration stating she must report any change in income.
The former Atomic Kitten singer's mother, who initially pleaded not guilty, sat in the witness box during the hour-long hearing visibly shaking. She had previously failed to attend several hearings, her solicitor John Morris, stating her agoraphobia made leaving her home exceptionally difficult.
After being threatened with arrest from district judge Bridget Knight, she made it to court on time.
