Zowie Davis, 38, is alleged to have committed one count of fraud by abuse of position while she was working at RAF Honington, near Bury St Edmunds.

The former accountant is accused of defrauding the RAF of £100,000 and appeared in front of magistrates in Bury St Edmunds yesterday.

Davis did not indicate a plea at the magistrates’ court hearing and was told the matter could only be dealt with by a crown court due to the amount of money involved.

She is alleged to have committed the fraud between June 2012 and October 2014 while she was employed as an accountant on the base, which is home to the headquarters of the RAF Regiment and the RAF Police.

The charge reads: “While occupying a position, namely accountant, in which you were expected to safeguard or not to act against the financial interests of Her Majesty’s Forces at RAF Honington, you dishonestly abused that position intending thereby to make a gain, namely over £100,000, for yourself.”

Speaking only to confirm her name age and address, Davis did not enter a plea and has been given unconditional bail to appear at Ipswich Crown Court.

She confirmed a Honington address in court but has spent the last 17 months in a mental health unit.

Davis was sectioned under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act and has been receiving treatment at Wedgwood House, the mental health unit at West Suffolk Hospital.

Prosecuting on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, Tess Mann said: “The defendant is charged with an amount of fraud to the value of £100,000.

“That sum alone makes it not suitable to summary disposal [at a magistrates’ court]. I ask you [the bench] to send it to crown court.”

The CPS position was not contested by Davis’s defence and the magistrates’ bench told Davis she would be dealt with by Ipswich Crown Court.

She has been given unconditional bail to appear for a preliminary hearing at Ipswich Crown Court at on March 21 at 10am.