A FORMER Burton-in-Kendal woman who spent nearly 11 years on the run in Thailand has now pleaded guilty to forgery and fraud in a British court.

Diane Coates, 65, fled the country in 2000 after being charged with 17 offences relating to bogus deals she did with various financial institutions in the 1990s.

She was arrested by the Thai authorities in November for having an out-of-date passport and visa.

It was then that they discovered she was wanted in the UK after skipping bail in 2000.

She was returned to Britain last month after being held for nearly three months in a notorious Bangkok woman’s prison while extradition proceedings continued.

And at Carlisle Crown Court on Monday, the 17 charges were put to her for the first time.

She pleaded guilty to them all – eight charges each of forgery and using false loan agreement forms with intent to deceive, and one of signing a false affidavit with intent to pervert the course of justice.

The dates of the offences ranged from 1993 to 1999.

Coates, who appeared in court leaning heavily on a walking stick, was remanded in custody for medical and pre-sentence reports.

She will be sentenced on March 24.