Kind-hearted magistrates wiped £1,800 off a woman's unpaid fines on the condition that she stayed in the court building for two hours.
Mum-of-13 Ellen Morris appeared in the front of the bench after being arrested for flouting a drink driving ban and having no motor insurance. She told JPs that she couldn't afford the owed fines of £2,831 and so they offered to cut the figure to £1,040 as long as she agreed to serve a 'community punishment'.
The punishment was to stay inside Burnley Magistrates' Court for the rest of the working day, and considering that it was already 3pm, that meant a wait of just two hours.
Jobless 40-year-old Morris claims over £27,000 a year in benefits and was given a 12-month community order for driving while disqualified and having no car insurance. She was also ordered to pay the remaining fines at the cost of £20 per week.
She had all 13 children by the same partner but they split up soon after the birth of their latest, four-year-old Beckham. She now has a new toyboy lover and has told the media she wants more children.
"I'd like another couple of kids," she said. "Why not? It's not easy making the money stretch. They all want the latest gear and Nike trainers and I like Lacoste jumpers.
"Then there's my cigs. I smoke 40 a day and I like vodka and Coke. You've got to have a few pleasures in life."
A spokesperson from CoverGirl Car Insurance Services, experts in providing cheap car insurance for women, commented, "Two hours for £1,800 does seem rather a lenient penalty.
"That's £900 an hour. I wish I got paid that much."