Woman who embezzled £120,000 from dementia-stricken mum over three year period jailed

A former TV presenter who embezzled thousands of pounds from her dementia-stricken mother has been jailed for two years and three months.

Hayley Matthews, 44, of Edinburgh, embarked on a lavish spending spree after stealing £120,000 from her mother’s bank accounts between September 2019 and November 2022.

But the 44-year-old’s illicit scheme came undone when other family members questioned the size of Janice Matthews’ estate following her death in 2021 in Finlay House, part of Edinburgh’s East General Hospital.

Matthews, who had power of attorney for her mother’s financial affairs, was sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after she admitted a charge of embezzlement.

Lynne Barrie, Procurator Fiscal for Lothian and Borders, said: “Hayley Matthews was placed in a position of family trust to oversee her mother’s financial affairs.

“But she abused that responsibility by stealing thousands of pounds and used that money to brazenly fund an extravagant lifestyle.

“This case demonstrates that those who seek to exploit vulnerable victims for their own personal gain will be held to account for their crimes.”

The court heard how Matthews told family members that her mother’s estate was valued at £36,000.

But the sum was queried by her sister who applied to the bank for copies of her mother’s financial statements.

They showed that ATM withdrawals after Janice Matthews had been admitted to hospital had increased substantially between September 2019 and September 2021, with misappropriated funds believed to be more than £100,000.

The court was told that a subsequent police investigation revealed that Matthews’ spending included 371 PayPal transactions totalling £46,763, ATM withdrawals amounting to £38,000, Amazon purchases worth £13,649.97, a Mulberry handbag costing £1,371 and items bought from the White Company to the value of £5,544.82.

The bank statements also disclosed further spending at Harvey Nichols, Kurt Geiger, Molton Brown and Marks & Spencer.

When Matthews’ father, Alistair Matthews, contacted his daughter for an explanation in January 2022, she admitted spending large sums for her own financial gain.

During several text exchanges, the accused wrote: “You’re right, I’ve been shocking at handling mum’s money and paperwork.

“I’ve spent what I shouldn’t and used money I shouldn’t. I wasn’t in a very good place when looking after her, but I tried my best.”