A woman who stole more than £10,000 from an elderly neighbour has been ordered to pay back just £1 - but warned she could be forced to pay back more if she ever came into money such as winning the lottery.

Maureen Marney, 66, befriended a neighbour whose cat and bird she looked after while the victim had a stay in hospital.

Norwich Crown Court heard how Marney went on to steal about £10,000 from the vulnerable victim, who is now 73, over the course of two years.

The thefts happened between January 1, 2017 and March 6, 2019 before starting again on March 25, 2019, and going through to July 14, 2019.

Marney of Bowers Avenue, Norwich, was last month jailed for 20 months for theft and was back at Norwich Crown Court on Monday for a hearing to try to claw back some of the cash she stole from the victim.

Marney appeared over a link from Peterborough jail for the short hearing.

Martin Ivory, prosecuting, said although the benefit figure for the thefts was put at £10,000, Marney had no assets or cash which could be realised and so he asked for the confiscation amount to be set at the nominal amount of £1.

Marney’s barrister Rob Pollington was in court to agree to the order for the confiscation hearing.

Judge Stephen Holt ordered Marney to pay £1 and serve one day in default of not making the payment.

He said: “If you in the future win the lottery they may come knocking at your door again.”

At her sentencing hearing the court heard how Marney continued to steal cash from the victim even after she had been interviewed by police about the offences.

Money taken from the account included payments for items she had bought on Amazon.

The sentencing judge described her as a “thoroughly dishonest and greedy woman”.

The victim in her statement to the court said she had been surprised and disappointed that her friend stole from her although she said she did not want Marney to go to prison.

Her barrister said that it was a sad tale and Marney had started out with good intentions.