A husband and wife from the Basildon area have been jailed for theft and fraud offences following a police investigation last more than three years.

Jeremy Palmer, 53, and Dawn Palmer, 50, of Brentwood Road, Dunton, were found guilty following a seven-week trial at Blackfriars Crown Court, of all charges against them and sentenced on Wednesday, October 22.

Mr Palmer was convicted of 16 counts while Mrs Palmer was found guilty of five, acting together with her husband. Mr Palmer was jailed for six years and his wife for 30 months.

The court heard how they obtained credit using the name of Mrs Palmer’s brother, Mark Waterhouse.

Between 2002 and 2008 they ran up large credit card bills, large overdrafts and obtained credit on cars including three Range Rover Sports and two Bentleys.

Mrs Palmer also used her maiden name to obtain further advances against their home address by purporting to earn over £200,000 a year.

The total amount of credit obtained and losses run up with the bank and on credit cards equates to in excess of £1million.

Mrs Palmer’s brother Mark, aged 51, from Great Baddow, found out about his sister’s offending after she and her husband were arrested.

He said: "I was devastated; couldn’t believe it. I’m still shocked to be honest. I had helped them in the past when they had money troubles, they were always borrowing money. I feel totally abused. You don’t expect this from your own family.”

Mr Waterhouse has not spoken to his sister or her husband since they were arrested in 2011.