Aide stole £45,000 from supermodel

A trusted aide to Erin O'Connor stole more than £45,000 from the supermodel to fund a lavish lifestyle, a court heard yesterday.

Michelle Knox-Brown, 45, "dishonestly abused her position" as Miss O'Connor's personal assistant, it was claimed. The incident came to light after the 33-year-old model became suspicious over taxi bills of nearly £8,000 in the three years allegedly racked up by Knox-Brown.

The PA, who was based at an office at Miss O'Connor's home in Camberwell, south London, appeared at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court accused of two counts of theft and two counts of fraud between 1 January 2007 and 1 March 2010. Ms Knox-Brown spoke only to deny all four charges at the hearing. The trial continues.