Woman Who Conned Rebecca Ferguson Has Been Sentenced to 16 Months in Prison

The woman who conned X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson out of £20,000 has been sentenced to 16 months in prison. UTV reports that Rachel Taylor, of Southport, offered Ferguson financial advice (despite having no qualifications) and made an agreement to look after her business affairs in Autumn 2012. The singer became suspicious around Christmas 2012 after paying thousands into a ‘trust fund’ for her daughter after which she received no paperwork. Taylor was sentenced to 16 months in prison in Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday. Rebecca Ferguson came second in X Factor in 2010. Geoff Fryar, Senior District Crown Prosecutor at Mersey-Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This was a calculated and callous offence which exploited the trust which Ms Ferguson had placed with the defendant as a family friend. "Rachel Taylor had no qualifications to have taken on the role of financial management and only the suspicions of Ms Ferguson eventually put an end to her offending. "It is extremely ironic that Rachel Taylor, whilst claiming to protect Ms Ferguson from those who would exploit her, was doing just that herself."