A Royal Navy "poster girl" fraudulently accessed over £2,000 from the military in travel expenses.
Able Seaman Louise Dorsett, 30, who starred in a "Made in the Royal Navy" TV advert, did not tell the Navy she was renting out her home over 400 miles away to a tenant and claiming travel allowance dishonestly.
Due to being the landlord of the property, she was not eligible for the "get you home" allowance intended to cover travel costs for service personnel.
She also breached Navy rules by not asking for permission to rent out her home, a court heard.
She has been ordered to pay back the amount in full after admitting to fraud by false representation and failing to perform a duty.
Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard how Miss Dorsett was a "poster girl" for the Navy.
She previously featured in an advert which showed her working in a fish and chip shop before saying she was "born in St Andrews but made in the Royal Navy".
Commander Edward Hannah, prosecuting, told the court that Miss Dorsett's offending happened while she was working in Bristol, between October 2, 2020 and March 31, 2021.
Miss Dorsett previously featured in a 'Made in the Royal Navy' advert
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Between these dates, Miss Dorsett claimed "home travel allowance to her property in Fife" from a naval support unit in Bristol, where she was based at the time.
The court heard that she had been a recipient of the Forces Help to Buy scheme, enabling military personnel to borrow up to half of their salary, up to a maximum of £25,000 interest-free.
Should individuals use the scheme, they are required to inform the Ministry of Defence (MoD) if they want to rent out the property.
Assistant Judge Advocate General John Atwill said: "That allowance is designed to compensate service personnel for being posted to a place far from their home, to allow them to return to that home.
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"That allowance was paid to you regularly during your post to Bristol."
He said that if she had notified the MoD about renting the property, this would "bring attention" to the fact she was ineligible for the travel allowance she was claiming.
Ms Dorsett was caught following an inspection at her unit in February 2023, where she claimed £2,034 of a home travel allowance for her property.
Jon Anders, defending, told the court that Ms Dorsett, who joined the Royal Navy in 2016, was "highly regarded" and featured in an advert for the military.
Miss Dorsett has been ordered to repay the amount in full
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Mr Anders stated: "The defendant was a poster girl for the Royal Navy, something of which she was proud and something she took very seriously."
Ne noted that a probation officer discovered "the level of criminality was negligible" in her case, and explained that her previous application to withdraw her guilty plea had been turned down.
However, Judge Atwill said she had been responsible for a "substantive loss of public funds".
Sentencing Miss Dorsett, the judge said it was a "tragedy" to see her in court, but added: "Your decision to act dishonestly has a significant impact on your career and reputation."
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