Suzi Taylor claims she was 'taken advantage of' after pleading guilty to fraud and theft charges

Former The Block contestant Suzi Taylor has pleaded guilty to theft and fraud charges after facing court earlier this week, according to The Courier Mail.

Caught on camera using a stolen credit card buying alcohol from a bottle shop in Brisbane on May 2, the 47-year-old was slapped with a $2,500 fine but escaped a criminal conviction.

The newspaper reported that Taylor stole the credit card on May 2 from a patient at the same hospital where her boyfriend, Jonathan Gregory-Kelly, recovered from emergency surgery.

Taking the credit card from the patient's wallet who was sharing the same room as Gregory-Kelly, Taylor was caught on CCTV spending over $100 at a service station nearby the hospital.

The Courier-Mail also reported that the court heard that Taylor then used the card to rack up more than $400 worth of booze at The Shafston Hotel.

According to the outlet, police raided her house that night and found the beer she bought using the stolen card and the jacket she was seen wearing while purchasing it, however the reality star was not home at the time.

Approximately one week later, Taylor was identified on camera at The Westin Hotel in Brisbane stealing a mobile phone and a laptop from a guest who had left their belongings on the bar.

On May 10, police again raided Taylor's property looking for the stolen items. Shortly after police located the missing hotel guest's mobile phone and computer in her home, Taylor was sent a notice to appear in court.

Speaking to Daily Mail, the mum-of-three told the outlet that she had no idea the card was stolen, insisting that it was given to her by "strangers" who told her she could buy whatever she wanted with it.

"I was leaving the hospital and a couple of people were following me on the street. I sensed them behind me," she told the outlet.

"I was incoherent at the time, I wasn't thinking straight, but I did have a sense of urgency to get further away from them."

She continued, "When I got to a cab, they said, 'Quick quick, jump in,' so I got in the front and they were in the back. They asked me to stop at a shop and gave me a credit card to use, which I thought was their card."

When asked about the bottle shop, Taylor told Daily Mail that she had "no recollection" of the incident, nor could she tell them where the bottle shop is located.

"AIl I remember is thinking, 'What wonderful people letting me buy alcohol'. They said, 'You buy whatever you want'."

She continued, "I used the card thinking it was someone's card - and I'm the one on the CCTV footage. It makes no sense to me now, thinking back, that I could've been so silly to have trusted someone."

She added, "Looking back as a person who is known in the media, going into a bottle shop with cameras all over - it's just something that would be ludicrous to do. The honest truth is - I thought I was doing the right thing."

Taylor also claimed that she felt she had been "taken advantage of" due to her poor mental health state.

"I was put in a position where I wasn't thinking straight. I've been taken advantage of when I was intoxicated. My mental state has not been good due to depression and addiction to alcohol and prescriptions drugs. And that all mixed up together with personal issues... My thought process was not the best and I made bad decisions."

She added, "I think we’re all human and I am a good person. This is just not me at all. You can make silly mistakes."

Taylor also told the publication that she decided to plead guilty because she was told it would be worse if she didn't.

"I was told to plead guilty as if I didn't it could have gone worse in my favour. Pleading not guilty could have had adverse reactions and given me a criminal record, which I did not need and don't deserve."

She added, "At this very moment I'm numb, I'm tired, I'm sad. I'm not in a good frame of mind at all. I haven't been sleeping well and this is just another terrible thing in my life that I have to face head on."

If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.