Ipswich: Woman, 41, is jailed over bogus letter from doctor

IPSWICH: Foolish Maria Jordan is today serving a three-month jail sentence for submitting not just one, but two, bogus letters to a court.

One of the notes claimed it was from her doctor. However, the scam was soon spotted as it was written in block capitals and littered with spelling mistakes. It also had no letterhead and the qualifications for her GP were incorrect.

Jordan, 41, of Bull Road, Ipswich, had clumsily tried to cover her tracks after previously failing to turn up to her court hearing for two alleged community order breaches.

When the clerk at South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court was given the letter she immediately realised something was wrong.

A quick check with the doctor’s surgery revealed Jordan’s GP had written no such note.

Another letter handed in by Jordan, supposedly from her manager at KFC, also proved to be a forgery.

At Jordan’s Ipswich Crown Court sentencing prosecutor Lynne Shirley said the shift supervisor had previously admitted perverting the course of justice.

Jordan had originally been due before Ipswich magistrates on August 25 for alleged breaches of the community order she received following her conviction for theft by an employee.

However, she failed to turn up. A warrant for her arrest was issued and she was brought before the court on September 9.

On that occasion Jordan told the magistrates she had been involved in a fatal road crash.

Miss Shirley said Jordan had asked for an adjournment so her employer could confirm this.

The case was adjourned until September 22, but Jordan did not turn up.

Another warrant was issued and she attended court voluntarily on September 29.

The case was put off until October 6, when Jordan handed the two fake letters to the court.

In police interview Jordan said: “I was stupid. I hold my hand up to it. I am so scared of going to prison and thought if I handed in the letter it would buy a bit of time.”

Craig Marchant, mitigating, said his client had been admitted to hospital between September 20 and 23.

He added his client’s actions were “orchestrated by a fear and panic of going to prison”.

Mr Marchant also said: “She accepts her behaviour was short-sighted, misguided, and foolish.”

However, Judge Roderick Newton told Jordan: “The fact remains you actively intended to deceive the court. What you sought to do was to lie and deceive.”

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