A Bradford company was conned out of £24,000 for Champions League final tickets which never materialised, a Court heard.

ATM Corporate Events, based in Odsal, ordered 44 tickets in May 2009 for the football final in Rome from Denise Buckhholz, through the Live Events UK company, based in Essex.

Basildon Crown Court was told the tickets were valued at £49,000. ATM paid Buckhholz £24,000 and arranged to meet her at a hotel to hand over the tickets and pay the remaining money, but she did not turn up and they could not get hold of her by phone or e-mail. Bosses of the Bradford company had only contacted her by phone and e-mail, but never met her, the court heard.

Buckhholz, 51, of South Norwood Hill, London, admitted three charges of fraud, and was jailed for nine months. She conned businesses out of a total of £35,000, by forming a registered company on the pretence it ordered and delivered tickets.

But Buckhholz squandered the cash on “useless items” including hundreds of bottles of washing up liquid, soap and sweets. She claimed she wanted to “treat herself to the good things in life” after being mistreated as a prostitute in Germany. Buckhholz told police losing the money was the victims’ own fault because they were “naive enough to trust her”.

The court heard she suffered from an obsessive compulsive disorder and squandered much of the money on useless goods, while investing £7,000 in property.

Recorder David Batcup said Buckhholz felt she was entitled to the money because life had been hard.

The judge told her: “Life is hard to a great number of people but the vast majority do not indulge in criminal conduct to make themselves feel better.”

Buckhholz admitted three counts of fraud by false representation, totalling £34,760, plus the theft of £474 by failing to honour an eBay sale. A proceeds of crime hearing will be held next year.

Representatives of ATM refused to comment when contacted yesterday.