A grandmother who admitted taking her elderly aunt's life savings from a credit union in Drogheda was given a two-year suspended sentence at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
The court heard that Madeline Thornton's 75-year-old aunt had given her her credit union savings account book, which had £16,000 in it, so she could withdraw £600.
Now deceased, Mrs Margaret Connor had agreed to give Thornton the £600 so she could pay for medical reports that her solicitor said she needed for a claim she was making against a man for allegedly assaulting her.
Instead the court heard that 55-year-old Thornton, of Ship Street, Drogheda, had during August and September 2001 taken a total of £12,600 from her aunt's account.
Thornton initially denied the crimes but after a jury was sworn in to hear the trial yesterday she changed her plea.
Det Garda Seán Fitzpatrick, Drogheda, said the elderly aunt realised what was happening in September 2001 when a friend went to deposit money in the account and was told the balance.
"Mrs Connor was very distressed and upset. It was her life savings put by over a lifetime of work," the garda said. Mrs Connor died a few months later.
In a statement to the Garda Thornton said that she had given into the temptation and had spent the money on a B&B she was staying in, clothes and taxis. She said that £3,000 had been stolen from her and she was sorry for what she did.
Cross-examined by Mr Derek Kenneally, for the accused, the garda said that the credit union had been reimbursed by its insurance company for all but £660 and that the credit union had reimbursed Mrs Connor's account.
Mr Kenneally said Thornton had loved her aunt dearly and was deeply conscious of the breach of trust and deeply ashamed and upset at the impact it had on her relationship with her aunt before she died.
Judge Raymond Groarke took into account that she was never in trouble before and had, and continues to have, tragedies in her life.
He imposed concurrent sentences of two years on each of the two counts before the court and suspended them on her entering into a bond to keep the peace and be on good behaviour for two years. He placed her under the supervision of the Probation Service.