Angela Gulbenkian, 39, pocketed ￡982,000 from the sale of a pumpkin sculpture, a court heard. She also ripped off a friend for ￡50,000 after claiming she would invest the cash in contemporary art.

       Gulbenkian blew the cash in eight months, including ￡288,000 on shopping alone.

       Another ￡121,000 went on travel with a “significant amount” on chartering a private jet.

       When her victims tried to retrieve their money, the thief “fobbed them off” with a web of deceit, London’s Southwark Crown Court heard.

       Following her arrest she went on the run. She was arrested in Portugal last year and extradited.

       German-born Gulbenkian, formerly of Battersea, south London, admitted two charges of theft earlier this month.