A carer broke down in tears and sobbed in relief when she was found not guilty of stealing from a disabled woman in Okehampton.
Emma Goodwin was cleared of theft and fraud after telling a jury she had not pocketed money which her client asked her to take to the council offices to pay a tax bill.
The 34-year-old single mother said she had borrowed money from employer Tracey Davies but always intended to repay it and did not steal it.
She blamed a mix up in council records for the money she paid into West Devon Council not being credited to Miss Davies's account.
Goodwin, aged 34, formerly of Okehampton but now living in Royal Wootton Bassett, was cleared of a total of six counts of theft and fraud.
She sobbed in the witness box when the jury delivered their verdicts after more than five hours of deliberation.
The prosecution alleged she abused the trust put in her when she worked as Mrs Davies' carer from early 2012 until her arrest in April last year.
Miss Davies says she only realised there was a problem when she found a £390 council tax bill was still outstanding despite giving Goodwin cash to pay it off.
She says Goodwin used her card to buy a £45 grey cardigan from a boutique called Kudos in Okehampton, and £30.46 worth of DIY supplies, and took out £80 cash from an ATM machine.
Goodwin insisted she had never stolen anything but she and Miss Davies had lent each other money on occasions when they were hard up.
She said she also took pit cash for Miss Davies which her employer used to buy cannabis to alleviate the painful condition which she suffers from and the £80 withdrawal was handed over and used in this way.
She told the jury Miss Davies allowed her to use her card to buy the £45 cardigan and the £30 spent at the DIY shop was creosote for her employer's home.
She said Miss Davies gave her a total of £150 to pay into the council offices and had done so, despite there being no record in council logs.
She said:"I paid what I had in and had receipts for it but Tracey said she did not need them and I threw them away. She never gave me £200 to pay in. There was only one lot of £100 and one of £50 and I did pay them in."
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