A 44-year-old woman has been imprisoned for more than two years after defrauding a vulnerable teenager of over £80,000 from his inheritance during the Covid pandemic.

Jenny Taggart, of Longfield in Harlow, was sentenced to 27 months behind bars at Chelmsford Crown Court after pleading guilty to theft and fraud charges.

The court heard how Taggart targeted her 18-year-old victim from September 2020, systematically draining his inheritance through a years-long sophisticated scheme.

Essex Police financial investigators uncovered a pattern of fraudulent transactions totalling at least £86,811, exposing what detectives described as "brazen, exploitative and cruel" crimes.

Jenny Taggart was sentenced to 27 months at Chelmsford Crown Court after pleading guilty to theft and fraud charges

The fraud began with Taggart directing funds from the victim's account to appear as international transfers to Luxembourg - when in reality the money was being sent to her PayPal account.

Within six months, more than £15,000 had vanished from the teenager's account.

Even after the victim opened a new bank account in 2021 and transferred his remaining funds there, Taggart persisted.

She began requesting money directly from him, claiming she needed financial help for her family and promising repayment from an inheritance she was supposedly expecting.

Taggart spun elaborate tales to manipulate her victim, including claims that her mother was being abused in a care home and urgently needed to be relocated.

Chelmsford Crown Court was told of Taggart's string of lies intended to defraud her teenage victim

She also told him her son was being pursued by loan sharks demanding immediate payment.

These stories were entirely fabricated - no inheritance existed.

To maintain the facade, she promised to repay all the money once she sold a property in Florida.

Detective Sergeant Rachel Barrett said: "It was all a fantasy so she could live beyond her means at his expense."

Through her fabricated emergencies and false promises, Taggart extracted an additional £71,716 from the teenager after he had already discovered the initial theft.

The victim's family alerted police and Action Fraud in 2023 after learning about his financial difficulties.

Financial investigators discovered Taggart had used the teenager's card for unauthorised purchases at shops he had never visited, including buying a mobile phone in her own name.

She was charged in November 2024 and pleaded guilty on January 14 this year.

Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are scheduled for December to determine what funds can be recovered.

Detective Constable Karen Venables said: "Our work doesn't stop at sentencing. It's vital we continue through the Proceeds of Crime Act hearings to establish what funds can be recovered from Taggart."