Cancer swindlers from Belfast and Lisburn avoid jail
Two people who took money from the family of a man dying from cancer have walked free from court.
The judge said that both Margaret Hood, 53, from Belfast, who claimed she was terminally ill, and Henry Fenton, 57, from Lisburn, deserved to go to jail.
However, he suspended their 18-month sentence for three years because one of them has a psychiatric disorder.
He also said he wanted to ensure the family were repaid nearly £5,000 they had been duped into handing over.
As part of her sentence Hood, of Brook Hall Avenue, Belfast, was warned to continue receiving treatment for her condition.
Fenton was given six months to pay the family back the monies they had both conned, claiming it was to be used to travel to America for specialist treatment for Hood.
The frauds took place between June and November 2006 and involved three members of the cancer patient's family.