A con-artist ripped off a grieving widow of nearly £150,000 and then blamed her dead partner.

Then, as the victim was crushed by the impact of the heartless fraud, Rosie Grewal went on holiday twice - but never paid back a penny.

Now the 43-year-old fraudster from Hoo has been told: “These offences are truly evil.”

Grewal, of Rochester Crescent, was jailed for a total of 43 months – but remained passive as a judge heard about the suffering of her victim who was left depressed and suicidal.

Maidstone Crown Court heard she talked the victim into handing over the money promising it would be invested in a flat in Greenhithe.

But it was a ploy and the scam-artist then "fobbed off" the woman with excuses for three years.

Grewal blamed the fraud on her partner Mahminderjit Mahl who died during the police investigation.

Her barrister Stella Harris said Grewal believed the scheme to invest in a flat in Hibernia Court initially was honest but realised soon afterwards that it was not.

The victim was told that she would receive an income from the rent of the property but never saw a penny.

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Hours before going on trial Grewal had changed her pleas to guilty to two frauds, against victim Patricia Makcewicz for £130,000 and £18,000 between 2012 and 2015.

Ms Harris claimed Grewal’s husband was an alcoholic who kept control over her.

“It was a chaotic existence," she added.

In an earlier trial, in which KentOnline was not allowed to report until now, Grewal had conned others into handing over money for houses owned by Bellway Homes.

Prosecutor Christopher Prior told the jury: “She persuaded people that she had some connection to a development by Bellway Homes.

“She took deposits claiming she could reserve a plot for them at a discount.

"In fact, she had no such connection to the company and the would-be buyers had no claim over the plots.”

One victim was tricked into handing over £1,000 for property at St Clements Lake, Greenhithe, and two others, £800 and £2,500 respectively.

The jury heard how a text message, which purported to be a receipt from Bellways Homes, was doctored.

Mother-of-four Grewal would later claim it was her partner – known as Min – who had told her she was authorised to sell plots.

The jury rejected her claims and convicted her of the frauds.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said: “You have repaid not a single penny but you were able to arrange foreign holidays while awaiting trial.”

The judge lifted an order prohibiting KentOnline from reporting the earlier trial when Grewal was found guilty of three other frauds.

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