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Shopaholic school head falls sick on court date in Britain

A high-spending headmistress who used school money on trips, gifts and luxury goods failed to appear in court on Friday for sentencing, but was later found at home.

Paramedics were called to the home of Colleen McCabe hours after she failed to appear at Southwark Crown Court. She was seen walking to an ambulance and was taken to the hospital. Police said she was discharged from the hospital in the evening, was arrested and taken to a police station.

Judge Christopher Elwen had issued a warrant for the arrest of McCabe, who had been warned she faced a lengthy jail term after being convicted last month of theft and deception.

Her lawyer, Paul Lewis, told the court that McCabe had gone to a hospital on Thursday complaining of chest pains, but left before test results were available.

Judge Geoffrey Rivlin said there were "some quite significant health issues in this case" and urged reporters waiting outside the hospital where she was being treated on Friday to leave her alone.

During the trial, prosecutor Andrew Wilcken said McCabe, a former nun, stole up to ?500,000 (US$790,000) to pay for expensive restaurant meals, tickets to West End musicals, Gucci jewelry and a ?7,000 (US$11,000) shoe collection that "would have made Imelda Marcos proud."

She also bought gifts for family and friends, including a trip for her parents on the Orient Express and a soccer season ticket for a former school governor.

McCabe was head of St. John Rigby College in south London for a decade. Prosecutors said her pilfering from the state-funded school's ?3 million (US$4.8 million) annual budget left it unable to pay cleaners and with a library full of empty shelves.
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