An Edinburgh-based TV and radio presenter is staring down the barrel of a jail sentence after she nicked more than £100,000 from her dementia-stricken mum.
Hayley Mathews, 43, swiped the hefty sum from the bank account of Janice Matthews, having been granted power of attorney over her mother's finances. The former STV2 presenter splurged the stolen dosh on a £1300 Mulberry handbag, swimming lessons for her kids, and cash withdrawals totalling a whopping £38,000.
Matthews, an Edinburgh resident, also used her mum's money to make Amazon purchases amounting to £13,648.97, spent £5544.17 with the White Company, and shelled out a further £1137.82 on eBay buys. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that Matthews didn't stop there, making purchases at Harvey Nichols, H&M, Milton Brown and Monsoon, and even treating herself to goodies from Greggs, Deliveroo, Five Guys and Hotel Chocolat, reports Edinburgh Live.
Matthews admitted to embezzling £120,000 from her mum while acting as power of attorney between September 24, 2019, and November 8, 2022, when she appeared in court on Thursday.
Prosecutor Nadia Stewart informed the court that Janice Matthews was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2019 and battled alcohol addiction, leading to her hospital admission under a compulsion order. Matthews assumed responsibility for her mother's finances, but suspicions were raised about the financial situation following Mrs Matthews' death in September 2021.
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Hayley Mathews, 43, swiped the hefty sum from the bank account of Janice Matthews
Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that she made purchases at Harvey Nichols, H&M, Milton Brown and more (Daily Record)The court was informed that Matthews' sister questioned the amount she would inherit from their mother's estate and that the radio presenter had been dismissive of her sibling's inquiries. Matthews' family eventually got hold of Mrs Matthews' bank statements and noticed a significant increase in cash line withdrawals after she had been hospitalised.
Alistair Matthews, a retired firefighter and Hayley's father confronted his daughter for an explanation in January 2022, where she confessed to misusing large amounts of money for her personal benefit. The fiscal revealed that Matthews admitted to her father: "You're right, I've been shocking 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. I massively overcompensated and used money that I shouldn't have but I tried my absolute best." The court heard that Matthews' sister scrutinised the transactions on their mother's bank accounts and, upon discovering around £100,000 was missing, decided to report the matter to the police.
Matthews was arrested on January 5 last year, and during an interview, she claimed she had spent money on Harvey Nichols hampers for hospital staff and clothes for her partner. The fiscal depute highlighted that the accused had made 371 PayPal transactions illegally, totalling £46,763 from October 2019 to September 2021.
Defence solicitor Kieran Clegg acknowledged the gravity of the situation for his client, who is currently unemployed and dealing with a "very complex home situation" involving her two children and pleaded for the continuation of her bail. Sheriff Alison Stirling granted Matthews bail but advised her to "make arrangements for the absence from your household."
The court has postponed sentencing to next month for further reports and to assess the possibility of a restriction of liberty order. Matthews, previously seen on STV2's arts show Live at Five and heard as a radio host on Talk 107, Forth 1, and Real Radio, stepped down from her roles last year. She also contributed as a columnist for a newspaper.
In addition, she has appeared with Lorraine Kelly on the STV Children's Appeal live broadcast and has interviewed celebrities such as Jason Donovan, Amy Winehouse, Andy Williams, Nile Rogers, and Gary Numan.
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