Glasgow woman who conned family as 'Hollywood actress' jailed
She conned her family out of tens of thousands of pounds.
A woman who teamed up with her mum to con their family in a fake Hollywood actress scam was jailed today for eight months.
Heather Dunlop, 39, claimed to her loved ones that she had singed million pound contracts.
She and mum Ann Dunlop, 69, convinced her brother David Bunton, 52, to hand Heather cash to help her make the breakthrough,
A court heard Heather was mingling with A-listers such as Leonardo Di Caprio and Beyonce as well as being managed by US entertainment executive Irving Azoff.
Heather's auntie Jean Allan and her uncle Steve Allan were also induced with the string of lies.
Mr Allan believed Heather and Ann had "champagne on tap" at the plush London home they shared.
He stated that the family were "like the Waltons" but ended up "like the Dingles."
Mr Allan stated Heather's acting career was a "best kept secret" and compared it to the nuclear codes at Faslane.
"Your family were devastated by your actions."
The Allans went on to pay Heather and Ann's gas as well as council tax bills due to their money problems.
Ann was found guilty at a trial in August 2023 to defrauding her family a total of £35,368 at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Heather meantime admitted her guilt to an identical charge in December 2023.
The pair, of Margate, Kent, were ordered by Sheriff Vincent Lunny to pay back their ill gotten gains in January this year.
It was revealed at today's sentencing that the pair originally from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, have only stumped up £3,500 of the stolen cash.
Sheriff Lunny told Heather: "I was told £18,000 would be paid back but this was not the case and you lied to me on two occasions about the money available.
"I am not confident that more funds will be paid and it is not possible for this to be delayed further.
"You showed contempt for your own family through your lies and imagination and this shows how serious this matter is.
"Your family were devastated by your actions and caused them stress as well as anxiety."
Ann, formerly of Beauly, Highlands, was ordered by Sheriff Lunny to find an address in Scotland in order for a tag to be applied or else she faces a prison sentence.
She will appear in the dock again next week.
Secret acting career
The court heard that London Royal Academy of Music graduate Heather appeared on national TV in three minor roles around 2010 and 2011.
Around March 2016, Mr Bunton was told by Heather and Ann that she had secured the agent services of Hollywood mogul Irving Azoff.
Prosecutor Victoria Keel said: "Mr Bunton and Mrs Allan were told Mr Azoff would secure major acting roles, paying her millions of pounds and that she secured an advertising job with Chanel.
"She said she secured the lead role in the movie of the stage show Wicked as well as other major roles, she was in meetings with major stars and had attended the Oscars with Mr Azoff."
Mrs Allan believed Heather was living a "very comfortable" lifestyle which included first class transatlantic travel, living at a hotel in New York and having a rented property in Los Angeles.
Ann initially contacted Mr Bunton for £5,000 in late March 2016 to pay Heather's rent and bills.
Ann claimed there was a problem with two payments being cleared from Bank of Scotland.
Mr Bunton was not paid back by April 2016 and recalled excuses which included a Cohen Brothers film Heather was due to work on being scrapped.
Ann then asked for a further £20,000 from Mr Bunton which would be paid back but never was.
Another £1,000 was transferred to Ann in May 2016 before a further £6,000 as sent to cover Heather's rent and bills.
Miss Keel added: "In June 2016, Mr Bunton received a call saying Heather had a meeting with Leonardo Di Caprio and had major roles in movies.
"She also asked if she could borrow £5,000."
Mr Bunton did not send £5,000 but transferred £500 to cover her week's rent.
Further promises were made by Heather and Ann to pay the money back.
False promises to repay money
Miss Keel added: "Heather contacted him saying director Tim Burton advised her to move bank and that Irving Azoff was in London with her at the bank."
Mr Bunton went on to pay Ann's £823 council tax bill in September 2016 with promises she was picking up Heather's cards and chequebook the next day to organise a transfer.
Ann and Heather also claimed that they had a meeting with Coutts Bank CEO Peter Flavel.
Ann stated in November 2016 that she had no money as it was invested into a bank account in error.
Miss Keel said: "She further claimed that Heather was in contact with them and more than £1 million would be released in days."
Mrs Allan paid a £536 gas bill in order to stop the supply from being cut later that day.
Miss Keel said: "Mrs Allen spoke with Ann and became concerned that she and Heather were almost destitute.
"Mrs Allan spoke to Ann by phone and agreed a transfer of £1,000."
Heather, meantime, provided updates that she was working on the Wicked film with Tim Burton.
In December 2016, Mr Bunton paid the £500 gas bill after he learned that it was going to be switched off.
Mr Buton was later told the money would be delayed again.
Miss Keel said: "He told Heather her communication was awful and that they had not been letting them know what was going on and that her explanations were becoming far-fetched."
Heather later messaged Mrs Allan stating: "My mum said you're worried about being paid back. But don't worry.
"I would never have taken money off anyone I couldn't pay back. I'm not that kind of person."
Mrs Allan and Mr Bunton spoke about their concerns and realised they provided money on trust.
Miss Keel added that it "dawned on them that they won't get their money back."
"I'm sorry, I ruined my whole life."
Ann later claimed that Tim Burton put Heather's card and cheque book in a safe.
At a meeting with Ann in February 2017, Mr Bunton suggested he looked over the contracts.
Miss Keel said: "He felt Ann and Heather were still telling the truth and that Irving Azoff was taking advantage of them."
Ann told Mr Bunton that her husband had run up a debt of £100,000 due to the failure of his business.
Mr Bunton was shown a signed letter with a Citibank logo on it which claimed there had been "mistakes" between financial institutions.
He went on to hire a private investigator as he "came to the realisation that he was not going to get his money back."
Miss Keel added: "This revealed that Heather had never been represented by Irving Azoff or his companies and that he had not been in the UK for several years.
"The firm also established that Heather could not have been working on the Wicked movie as it had not been cast."
Mrs Susan Bunton also carried out research where she established that Tim Burton was in Asia during the time he was supposed to have worked with Heather.
The matter was reported to police on August 2017 when Mr Azoff's office confirmed that Heather was not a client.
An upset Heather, who represented herself at court, told the sentencing: "I'm sorry, I ruined my whole life.
"I had so much open to me and my career and look at me now.
"I just want to make amends and I am sorry to my family.
"I have broken up my whole family forever and I will take anything that happens today.
"I made a big massive mistake and just panicked and I don't know how to get out of it - I'm not making excuses."
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