Danniella Westbrook could face prison after skipping court over unpaid £33 fuel bill
The garage owner Westbrook stole from said it was incredible the hassle she had caused over a bill that totalled just £32.90
FORMER EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook has been convicted of fraud over an unpaid fuel bill despite being a no-show at a Spanish court.
The troubled actress was found guilty after a short hearing for failing to pay a £32.90 bill for petrol she put in a hire car.
The 44-year-old, who is set to have a hysterectomy later this month after revealing she has womb cancer, was ordered to stand trial after being arrested as she tried to fly out of Malaga Airport in April.
She now faces the prospect of jail time if she fails to pay her fines.
Her failure to show up at the hearing in the small town of Velez Rubio near Almeria left judge Francisco Javier Kimatrai with no option but to go ahead with the case.
A court secretary received blank stares from the half-dozen Spaniards waiting outside the courtroom as she called out the actress' maiden name of Jenkins.
The bizarre case began when the former Celebrity Big Brother star emptied her handbag on the counter of a nearby family-owned service station before telling staff she had no money.
The incident was played out in front of the courtroom.
Garage operator Serafino Reche, 44, told the hearing he reported Westbrook to police on July 24 last year - two days after she drove off from the Galp petrol.
He said: “She came in and emptied her handbag on the counter and said she had no money.
“She left a foreign driving licence and said she’d pay later but I never heard from her again.”
He confirmed he was still owed the money.
State prosecutor Juan Carlos Costela was seeking a fraud conviction and £160 fine, and wanted her to repay the garage owner.
The judge found the mum-of-two guilty of a minor fraud offence and reserved sentencing to a later date.
Her punishment will not be made public until she has been formally notified of its contents.
After the hearing Reche admitted he had no idea he was out of pocket to an actress who once entertained millions in a famous BBC soap and confessed he had little hope of ever being paid.
“Hopefully the bad publicity she’ll get from this will shame her into paying me.
“I think she knew she had no money before she filled her car up with petrol from the way she turned her bag upside down the moment she got to the counter.
“I had a friend’s funeral to attend this morning and was worried at one point I wouldn’t make it when the court case didn’t start on time.
“It’s incredible to think of all the hassle she’s caused me and herself over such a small amount of money because she would have had to apply for a new driving licence to replace the one she left behind.
He said it was an inconvenience to attend the hearing, with a business to run and a family to feed.
“I went through with this because people like her shouldn’t think they can get away with it.
“Even if I don’t end up getting my money back, hopefully it will make this woman think twice before trying it on again next time.”
Westbrook was held over the unpaid bill when her name was flagged at passport control as she attempted to board a flight back to the UK on April 23.
She was hauled to court in Malaga after a night in a police cell.
Her arrest came days after she was held in the UK over allegations of “malicious communications and witness intimidation".
Pals wrongly claimed her detention had been held over an alleged driving offence.
She confessed after her arrests she was feeling “ugly and sad” before jetting to Gran Canaria for a second sunshine holiday to try to leave her woes behind her.
Last month she shared her hopes of getting married following her womb cancer diagnosis.
She is set to have a hysterectomy before the end of the month and has admitted she has been terrified by the thought of dying.
Court officials in Spain confirmed today the TV personality had not advised the court herself or through a lawyer she would not be attending.
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