A MOTHER-of-three has been cleared of stealing £5,000 from her surrogate grandmother.

Businesswoman Ceri Scott-Howell, who runs holiday and farm business Coity Bach at Talybont-on-Usk, near Brecon, was found not guilty on the direction of a judge at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on what was due to be the first day of her trial on Monday, November 3.

The 44-year-old had been accused of taking £5,041.36 cash from the account of Mary Doreen Pescod, who she described as 'like a grandmother' to her and woman she had known all her life as 'Aunty Doreen', while she was in hospital in 2010.

Mrs Scott-Howell was previously questioned about how she managed her aunt's money in 2010 and was eventually told by the police that there was no case to answer. The case was then re-opened in 2012, only for her to be told once again that there was no case to answer. The case was then opened a third time a year ago.

After being told she was free to go Mrs Scott-Howell said life could now return to normality for her and husband Rhys and their three children, who feared she could have faced a prison sentence.

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