A FORMER prostitute has had her stay behind bars extended by six months after stealing more than £4,000 from a woman who tried to help her.

Drug addict Amy Garner, 22, used a stolen bank card to withdraw £4,005 from Susan Brown's business account after she was allowed to move into the good Samaritan's home, Grimsby Crown Court heard.

The victim was a member of Grace Outreach, a charity which helps young girls turn their backs on a life of crime.

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, said: "A year-and-a-half ago, Mrs Brown came into contact with Amy Garner. They met on Orwell Street where the defendant was working as a prostitute and built up a rapport and a friendship.

"She was aware the defendant had a chaotic lifestyle and was a drug user who was in danger of losing her daughter."

The court heard how Mrs Brown offered Garner one of the flats she managed, in Hainton Avenue, and that she was a good tenant and stopped going to Orwell Street.

Mr Evans added: "Such was the trust and friendship between the pair that Mrs Brown invited the defendant to spend Christmas 2012 at her house with her family. There was good progress being made.

"It was in March that things started to go wrong."

Garner was arrested for aiding and abetting the supply of heroin and crack cocaine by acting as a driver – a charge for which she is currently serving an 18-month sentence at New Hall Prison.

She told police that Mrs Brown was her mother and was bailed to her address in April.

Mr Evans added: "Mrs Brown was going away on holiday and so she removed all her jewellery, valuables and cheque books from her home. She forgot that her property development business had a bank card and pin number, which was left in a filing cabinet."

Garner, formerly of the YMCA, in Peaks Lane, stole the card and used it to withdraw cash from Tesco, in Cleethorpes, on various dates during April.

In a victim statement, Mrs Brown said: "I am totally devastated and utterly betrayed. I welcomed Amy into my home and wanted to help her get her daughter back. I cannot believe she's done this to me."

Garner admitted two counts of theft in breach of trust.

Richard Hackfath, mitigating, said: "She was in the grips of a raging heroin addiction.

"This was not pre-planned. She did not befriend Mrs Brown with the intention of stealing from her."

He added: "It is something that she is bitterly ashamed of."

Recorder Euan Duff sentenced Garner to an additional six months in prison.

He said: "Somebody who was bending over backwards to do everything she could to help this vulnerable young woman has been kicked in the teeth.

"I take the view that this was a serious offence."

He told Garner: "The world needs folk like Mrs Brown to help people like you."

Garner must also pay an £80 victim surcharge upon her release.

GRIMSBY Town's joint bosses are facing a busier than expected transfer deadline day after Saturday's dismal defeat to Nuneaton.

The Mariners lost 2-1 at Blundell Park after Gavin Cowan and Andrew Brown both plundered goals amid a dire first-half performance from the hosts.

And as things went from bad to worse, Aswad Thomas was shown a straight red card for needlessly kicking out at Wes York just before half-time.

Having already been short of defenders following injuries to Sam Hatton and Clayton McDonald, the full-back's three-match suspension will now force the bosses to look for reinforcements before tonight's 11pm deadline.

"We're in for a busy day I think," he told the Telegraph.

"We're going to be looking around for someone and that's the frustrating thing."

"The sending off gives us a real headache. Ideally, we weren't looking to do anything – we wanted to work with the group that we've got.

"But after Saturday, we might need to act. We've got a big game at Luton next Saturday and we're desperately short on defenders at the minute.

"We've got people who can come in, but it's a case of who's available and what stage they're at.

"I said that I didn't want to bring people in to sit on the bench and upset what we've already got here, but I don't think anyone could have any arguments with us doing that after Saturday.

"It will now be case of getting through the circulars, making some calls and seeing what we can come up with."

Despite their performance for most of the game on Saturday, Town did stage an all too brief rally following Andy Cook's late goal. But ultimately, the hosts had left themselves with too much to do in order to salvage an unlikely point – particularly after Thomas' sending off.

And Hurst was far from impressed with the Londoner and afterwards accused him of letting his team-mates down.

He added: "It was just absolutely ridiculous. Aswad will be disciplined for that – it was pathetic.

"He went over and had a little kick at him. He tapped him and he had to go. It was petulant and something that little kids do.

"He let the team down."

A SECOND win on the bounce moved Grimsby Borough up to sixth in the Northern Counties East League (NCEL) table.

The Blues defeated Clipstone 3-2 at Bradley Community Stadium on Saturday, taking their points tally to 12 from six Division One games.

Two goals from Louis Grant, and another from John Waugh, were enough for Borough in that contest, which took place in front of a crowd of 71 fans.

Grimsby twice took the lead against their mid-table visitors, but Clipstone were on level terms going into the final ten minutes, thanks to goals from Nathan Millington and Gavin King.

But Waugh's 80th minute strike ensured that Borough had the last laugh, completing their third home win of the NCEL campaign.

It has been a stellar start to the season for Steve Newby and Nigel Fanthorpe's men, who struggled for large parts of 2012/2013, ending the campaign in 17th place.

But an injection of youth appears to have done the trick for the Blues, who are now leading the pack of the area's teams ahead of local rivals Cleethorpes Town and Louth Town.

Borough travel to Hallam this evening, and could move into second place with a sound victory against the Sheffield side.

But, given the superior goal difference of Shaw Lane Aquaforce, the Blues have more chance of ending the night in third.

CLEETHORPES professional golfer Holly Clyburn finished a superb third in the Ladies Scottish Open.

It was a continuation of her brilliant debut season on the Ladies European Tour.

She shot three rounds of 74, 73 and 71 on the par 72 course – to finish on a total of two over par.

Her third-place finish earned her a nice pay day of 14,717 euros.

It takes her season's earnings to almost 80,000 euros. That total puts her eight on the European order of merit list.

It was a cold and blustery weekend at the Archerfield Links course in East Lothian – and Clyburn enhanced her reputation as a fine player in tough weather conditions.

Also in action in Scotland was Humberston professional Sophie Walker.

She shot rounds of 74, 74 and 78 to finish joint 38th with a score of ten over par – earning her 1,423 euros.

Scot Catriona Matthew won the event with a score of eight under par. The win netted her 31,500 euros.

BELT UP – and save a life.

That's the message from Humberside Police during this month, as the force launches a seatbelt campaign.

It will focus on educating people around the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt and making sure that children have the correct restraints in place when travelling in a vehicle.

The fine for being caught not wearing a seatbelt increased this summer from £60 to £100.

And officers will be carrying out checks at a number of undisclosed locations.

Casualty Reduction Officer for the south bank, PC Barry Gardner, said: "Do you know how 370 deaths and 7,000 serious injuries could be prevented on the roads each year?

"Do you know what only 85 per cent of front seat passengers and 50 per cent of rear seat passengers comply with the law when travelling in a vehicle?

"The answer is in connection with wearing seatbelts.

"In the UK, there are millions of cars and it's inevitable that the people driving those cars, sooner or later, are going to crash.

"We'd like that not to be the case but it will happen.

"When you crash, there's a good chance you will be injured and by not wearing a seatbelt, you are going to increase that risk dramatically.

"Since the introduction of the law which made wearing a seatbelt compulsory, we have seen injury levels reduce dramatically.

"If you make the conscious decision of not wearing a seatbelt, you're not only putting your own life at risk, but those of your passengers. I've personally experienced a number of very serious, and unfortunately some fatal, collisions where drivers have been ejected from the vehicle."

The awareness campaign runs until the end of September – keep checking your Grimsby Telegraph for coverage.

HEARTFELT tributes were paid to Val Waterhouse, the former chairman of North East Lincolnshire's Care Plus Group, at an emotional memorial service yesterday.

Friends, family and colleagues gathered at Grimsby Town Hall to share their memories of the 62-year-old who died in July, after a two-year battle with cancer.

Some even donned outlandish footwear to support the Funny Feet campaign aiming to raise awareness of gynaecological cancers in her memory.

After the service, her family released six white doves outside the town hall in her memory, while people were invited to share their memories of Val on a "tree of life".

Despite being diagnosed with cancer just a day before she took on the Care Plus Group's lead role in 2011, Val continued throughout her illness to lead her team with the same determination she brought to her previous roles, which included driving the Primary Care Trust into the unique Care Trust Plus..

She also enjoyed a successful career in business as managing director of ICF Grimsby Ltd, winning the National Businesswoman Of The Year Award in 1991.

Leading the tributes yesterday, Lance Gardner, chief executive of the North East Lincolnshire Care Plus Group, said: "It was my privilege and honour to work with Val for nearly ten years. I'll always be grateful to Val because she didn't tell me off enough!"

He recalled the support Val gave him when he and a colleague defied the CTP board by making a secret bid for funding for a community hospital, adding poignantly that the facility had opened on Strand Street just weeks after he death.

Chris Long, area director for NHS England North Yorkshire and Humberside, recalled Val's "wicked sense of humour" and described her as an "iconoclast" who left her staff feeling "empowered and enabled to do things".

Tony Hunter, chief executive of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: "She always wore her authority lightly. She carried great gravitas, but never did it in a way that made another person feel small."

Mark Webb, chairman of the North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group as a "tenacious" woman who "never minced her words" and would leave "a big space" in many people's lives. Val's son Andrew, who worked alongside her at ICF, said: "Mum's passion wasn't turnover or profit. It was people. She was a people person and that is the reason I will miss her so much."

MAKING Grimsby a brighter place to live, work and visit was the aim of a "bloom-ing" brilliant new festival in the town.

The first Bloom Fest, organised by Grimsby In Bloom, took place at Grimsby Minster and in Minster Square on Saturday.

It is designed to help raise some of the £8,000-£10,000 it costs to maintain the Grimsby In Bloom entry each year.

Chairwoman Elaine Atkinson said: "We wanted to come up with a new and exciting way of helping to raise money that could be enjoyed by the whole community.

"This is the first year we've done the festival but we hope it will become an annual event.

"The reaction so far has been excellent and everybody is enjoying themselves."

The festival included a celebration of music, food and crafts, with various stall to entice passersby.

Live performances taking place inside the minster during the day included Andrew Darwood, Dick Appleton, Fusion Youth Theatre, Toria Dance School, Alex Barton, Dilettante, Dan Brown and Grimsby School Of Samba.

Volunteer Steve Lewis, who is licensee of the Hope & Anchor, said: "As a local businessman I'm very keen to get involved in helping the community.

"I think Grimsby In Bloom has made a heck of a difference to the town and we were proud to win the 'best public house hanging basket' competition this year.

"I think it's important that we all do our bit."

Among the local groups manning stalls was the Grimsby 16+ Club, which organises social events for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Spokeswoman Brenda Ryder said: "We're holding a raffle today with first prize of a dolls' house, second prize of £100 and third of £50.

"We organise lots of events in the area, including bingo, dancing, meals out and an annual holiday. It's our 20th anniversary in 2015 and we're trying to raise money for a special celebration."

Busily knitting items for her stall was Charlotte Baker, from Immingham, who works for North East Lincolnshire Council and runs Charlotte's Craft Creations in her spare time.

She said: "I started making things as a way to keep busy in the evenings.

"I've done a few fairs now and the reaction to my work has been really good.

"I think Grimsby In Bloom is a great thing and I've become quite involved in it.

"The festival is a really good idea."

To find out more about joining The Grimsby 16+ Club, call Carl Dodsworth on 07980 253181 or Margo Thomas on 07799 108678.

SHOPPERS were treated to the delicious scents of freshly-cooked food as a preview to The Lincolnshire Food Festival got underway in Grimsby.

A taster to the main event – which will take place at Cleethorpes' Meridian Park on September 21 and 22 – was held at Freshney Place Shopping Centre on Saturday.

Kicking off the demonstrations was Steven Bennett, executive chef at Laceby's Oaklands Hall Hotel, who served up scallops with black pudding and fennel hollandaise; homemade chutney; and seabass with British pak choi and Bridlington crab risotto.

He said: "I think the food festival is a fantastic thing for the area and will really promote both great, local produce and great, local restaurants.

"I'm passionate about using Lincolnshire produce in dishes and enjoy coming up with new and unusual combinations for dishes."

As well as cookery demonstrations by some of the region's celebrity chefs, there were stalls offering free samples and a number of major retailers at the precinct also offered foodie discounts.

Also showcasing his skills was Nigel Brown, who runs a cookery academy at Barton.

He said: "The festival is going to be absolutely fabulous and it's something that is long overdue in this area.

"It's going to grow year after year and become a real highlight in the county's calendar."

Linda Cressey, 62, from Grimsby, said: "I thought the chefs were brilliant.

"I got some great tips and enjoyed watching the way they used fresh, local food.

"They presented it in a way that was easy for normal home cooks like me to follow."

Mel Sharpe, from the Oakridge Hotel chain, which includes The Brackenborough, at Louth, and The Ashbourne, at North Killingholme, was serving up pate tasters.

She said: "We use all local produce in our restaurants and will be taking part in the festival because it's a great way to promote how delicious and affordable our food is."

Try Nigel Brown's recipe for delicious chocolate macaroons

A CLEETHORPES band who have been fine-tuning their new album are supporting a huge Indie rock band in Lincoln next Tuesday.

Orphan Boy, who recently performed at Cleefest, will get the party started for their "musical influence" the Babyshambles, led by singer Pete Doherty.

The boys – who currently live in Manchester – are; Rob Cross, Paul Smith, Chris Day and new member Sam Carlton. They will perform at The Engine Shed at 7pm.

Singer Rob said: "It's a great support slot for us.

"Babyshambles have become a cult band in their own right over many years, and their gigs are always exciting.

"In our early days they were a big influence on us; not just the music but the whole DIY ethic they carried on from The Libertines."

Co-lead-singer Pete Doherty rose to fame with The Libertines in early 2000 and went on to create Babyshambles.

Rob has met him a couple of times.

He added: "I met him once as a fan at a Babyshambles gig way back, then later when we played on the same bill as him in London.

"I remember watching Babyshambles at the Welly club in Hull in 2004 and we started the customary stage invasion during the last song.

"I find it is much more fun delivering the stage invasion than receiving one."

The lads are recording an album which will be released next year.

Rob said: "There will be a lot more activity from us then.

"We have been fine-tuning new material for the album, due for recording in the next few weeks. "We played at Cleefest a fortnight ago and a lot of things went pear-shaped during our set.

"People didn't see the real Orphan Boy, which bothers me because we are capable of great live shows.

"It just wasn't our night and a number of things went wrong at the worst possible time."

Rob said they will be performing "trusty, big game player songs".

He added: "We will also perform exciting new songs, unless they are injured ... songs do get injured sometimes.

"Before going on stage I check my guitar is in tune, check that I've written the set list out and check that Chris can walk in a straight line!"

And straight after the gig Rob will head for some fresh air and a beer.

He added: "Assuming the gig has gone well, the ten minutes right afterwards is the most enjoyable part."

Limited tickets are available, including a coach from Grimsby, for £25. It leaves at 6pm.

Call 07984 708230.

THE trust which runs Grimsby's hospital has rejected calls for chief executive Karen Jackson to resign.

The Labour group in North East Lincolnshire, together with its counterparts in Scunthorpe and Goole, issued a joint statement urging Ms Jackson to go, and asking the trust's board members to also consider their positions.

Councillor Chris Shaw, the leader of the North East Lincolnshire Labour group, said the decision to award Ms Jackson a £25,000 pay rise, the fact that the trust had been placed into special measures, and recent announcements over changes to stroke services and car parking charges were signs of a "trust that doesn't know what it's doing".

However, Dr James Whittingham, chairman of the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, insisted that Ms Jackson was the right person to turn around the failing trust, adding that progress had been made since her appointment in 2010.

He said that the pay rise was awarded in April 2012 – well before the Keogh Review highlighted failings within the trust – and brought her annual salary, at £170,000, in line with those of chief executives at other trusts in the country. Dr Whittingham also claimed that neither of the local Labour MPs supported the Labour groups's collective stance. He said: "The Board and I are not satisfied with the Trust's current performance, neither is the chief executive, but we can see the improvements and we are confident that we will continue to make progress, particularly as the mortality rates are steadily reducing.

"The Trust has a great team of several thousand doctors, nurses and other staff who are well led by an extremely able chief executive, supported by a strong executive management team. The chief executive and her team inherited an extremely challenging situation in 2010 and know there is still much work to do. But as was recognised by the Keogh team, they are the right people to deliver it."

However, Labour group leader Chris Shaw said: "We think Karen Jackson made a bad move by accepting a pay rise. It just shows bad management to even consider such a huge pay rise when the rest of her staff have got a one per cent increase. "Look at what have they proposed to do to get out of special measures. A rise in parking charges, cuts to services and a pay rise for the chief executive. All of it together smacks of a trust that doesn't know what it's doing." Margaret Cracknell, acting leader of the Conservative group, said: "In foundation trusts the responsibility of executive salaries is left to the trust's remuneration committee. "However, I think pay in the public sector is seen by many to be out of line with that in the private and voluntary sectors and I believe it is a matter that needs addressing nationally. "Whilst we understand the emotion and sentiments behind the Labour group's comments, what they are suggesting could be long drawn out and costly." Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat group leader Andrew De Freitas said: "It is a difficult one and I do think the Labour group should not get involved in the politics of it. They have got enough on their plates and they should be concentrating on listening to the local inhabitants who are very unhappy with various aspects of Labour policy locally." UKIP group leader Ron Shepherd said: "While we have sympathy with the Labour group, Karen Jackson was awarded the par rise in July 2012, which was prior to the trust being placed in special measures. £170,000 is an awful lot of money for someone who is failing. But she should be given the opportunity to prove herself and to turn the trust around."Follow us on Facebook and Twitter