A greedy daughter who stole her elderly mum’s £216,000 life savings as if she was “taking candy from a baby” was finally caught when she bragged to her son she could afford a house deposit.
Care worker Luana Dougherty, 50, betrayed Margaret Trimmer by using a banking app to access the victim’s account and make illicit withdrawals of thousands of pounds at a time. Over one four-day period, the manipulative mother of three was transferring £20,000 a day into her own account from her mum, who has Alzheimer’s. Dougherty was finally caught when she bragged to her son she was going to put a £60,000 deposit on a house.
Just £10,000 was left in her mother’s account by the time the thefts were discovered and last year she was jailed for four years after she admitted fraud by abuse of position.
Last Friday, she was brought back to Chester Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime hearing. In a statement to police, Dougherty’s sister Sandra Clayton said Mrs Trimmer, who is in her 80s, was said to be ”anxious and distressed” when told of her daughter’s betrayal.
She said: “When mum sold up because she was unable to look after herself we agreed Luana would look after her as she had worked in the care sector for people with dementia. She had already received her share of £125,000 whilst the remaining money would be held in mum’s bank account but Luanna was amassing that money selfishly for herself. We now feel so foolish we trusted her.
“In fact she started accessing the money almost immediately. She had told us repeatedly our mother was attending medical appointments. But in the 18 months she lived with her she received no doctors’ appointments or diagnosis.
“My mother’s money would have provided the best possible care” for her. But the financial impact has meant we had no choice in a type of care home she would move into. We are reliant on the local authority council to choose that place for her and top up £100 a week for mum’s care.
It emerged Dougherty had spent ‘thousands’ on her dogs, furniture, and setting up a dog breeding business. Facebook pictures also showed her enjoying a holiday in India with a man.
The court heard Dougherty benefitted to the tune of £156,318.24 but her only asset was a second hand Vauxhall Insignia car. It will now be sold and the proceeds confiscated. If the car. If it fails to secure the £4,000 asking price the court will reconvene to agree a lesser amount. She had previously transferred £80,000 back from her ill gotten gains.
Mrs Clayton added: “Luanna has not asked how she is, where she lives, or offered to pay any money. We have not received any money from her.
“She had shown no care or concern and had used her for what she could get out of her. She had no regard for the consequences, leaving us to pick up the pieces.”
Mrs Trimmer’s bank is understood to have reimbursed a sum of money to the victim.
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