CHARGES have been dropped against a woman accused of stealing thousands of pounds from a former friend to live the high life with holidays, pop concerts and clothes.

Julia Fletcher, 26, went to the Canary Islands for a sunshine break and saw Britney Spears perform live in Manchester with cash said to have been taken from Lucy Bosanquet.

She was charged with theft and faced a trial but has since paid back the £17,700 and prosecutors have now offered no evidence against her after she accepted a police caution.

Teesside Crown Court heard on an earlier occasion that Ms Fletcher, of Salutation Road, Darlington, claimed that her former best friend gave her blessing to the lavish spending spree.

The prosecution alleged that she obtained Ms Bosanquet's bank details while she was on holiday and used them to pay for things on the internet between last March and November.

It is understood that the pair had been best friends until Ms Fletcher crashed Ms Bosanquet's car and that led to a serious falling out between them in February last year.

Prosecutor Martin Towers said Ms Bosanquet went to Australia for a holiday two months later but both before she left and while she was away, her bank account was plundered.

When Ms Fletcher was arrested, she admitted making the transactions but said she had permission to do so, her barrister David Lamb told Judge Tony Briggs at a hearing.

After learning on Friday that Ms Fletcher, who has recently started a new job, had repaid the money, Judge Briggs entered a formal not guilty verdict when Mr Towers offered no evidence.