A pensioner who was jailed a decade ago for conning friends out of £2.5m has been sent back to prison after defrauding a neighbour out of more than £100,000.

Margarita Clark, 72, of Fourways in Bayford, Hertfordshire, was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation.

St Albans Crown Court heard Clark befriended a woman in her 70s who had moved to the area after her husband died and managed to take £118,000 from her over a two-year period.

The victim’s family became suspicious and after a Google search discovered Clark had previously been jailed for three years and four months for taking £2.5m from friends in 2014.

In 2018, Clark had fabricated a story about purchasing property in Spain and offered the victim a chance to invest, in exchange for a cut of the interest.

Over the next two years she made up stories about the property to acquire more funds from the woman.

She used the money to buy high-end clothing items, a new car and even persuaded the victim to pay for a trip to Dubai.

Hertfordshire Police was contacted by the woman’s family in October 2020 as they were concerned that the victim had been scammed.

Det Con Emma Cozens said: “Clark is a cold and calculating individual. She took advantage of her victim, who was grieving the loss of her husband and had only recently moved to the area.

“The victim genuinely believed she had made a close friend and was left shocked and heartbroken when the truth was discovered. I’m pleased that Clark is now behind bars.”

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