A Nigerian mother-of-two who used six cloned credit cards to pay for cosmetic surgery in the UK has walked free from court after being convicted of fraud.
DailyMail reports that Thelma Idahosa based in Bromley, south east London, spent £8,500 (N2.1m) on a number of procedures. The graduate, 29, forked out thousands for surgeries on her thighs, stomach, arms and ‘love handles’, as well as skin-tightening procedures, using ‘stolen credit card details’.
She spent £4,000 at the Harley Street Skin Clinic and then purchased £4,500 worth of treatment at the
West One Clinic – where she even demanded a £1,000 refund after only three litres of fat was removed instead of six. Described as ‘incredibly rude and aggressive’, Idahosa – who was seven months into another suspended sentence at the time of the fraud – had phoned the clinic ‘shouting and ranting’, threatening to visit and cause a scene.
During her sentencing, Idahosa was given a six-month suspended prison sentence at Woolwich Crown Court and was told she would have been jailed if it had not been for her young children.
Recorder Michael Wood QC told the mother-of-two:
‘You really should be going to prison. There is only one reason you are not and that is because you have a relatively young child. A sentence of imprisonment that would amount to weeks or months is outweighed by your child’s rights. However, you can’t hide behind your children forever and if you commit an offence within the next two years you will go to prison whether you have a babe in arms or are pregnant.
You are a very, very lucky woman.
