Portadown drug addict stole money from the bank account of her grandfather who has dementia, Craigavon court hears

Maeve Hart, aged 25, from Beaufort Manor, Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court via video link from Hydebank Prison.

-

-

She pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and one charge of possession of the Class C drug Pregabalin.

The court heard the defendant returned home in the early hours of Saturday, August 16 and asked the injured party if she could use his phone to access her mobile banking app as ‘her phone was broken and she owed £135 for a debt’.

“Police made contact with the victim by phone given the lateness of the report and he stated he allowed the defendant to use his phone and when she had finished with it, he checked and discovered she had accessed his father’s account which he has Power of Attorney of due to his father having dementia,” a prosecutor revealed.

The victim noticed the defendant transferred £700 to her own account. He also noted the defendant had accessed his father’s account on August 5 this year, transferring two separate amounts of £900.

The victim stated he had confronted the defendant about it and told her to return the money but she left and no money was returned.

Compensation was sought for £2,500.

Hart’s barrister, Mr Damien Halleron, said: “Unfortunately she has been a drug addict for a very long period of time.”

He said: “She attended Cuan Mhuire residential course in Cork for 12 weeks at the behest of her parents who are still in contact with her almost daily.”

Mr Halleron said the victim, Hart’s father, was ‘required’ to make a statement in this case as the bank required that for insurance purposes.

"She accepts she is guilty. She accepts the motivation was to obtain more drugs,” he said adding his client was able to hold down a job while she ‘struggled with her addiction’ but lost her job as she was remanded into custody.

"Because the complainant was her father she couldn’t reside at home. All of her other known associates are also people who are involved in taking drugs and have criminal records so unfortunately she’s been languishing in Hydebank since August this year," he said.

"It’s really a sad case for one who is still relatively young. She just wants to go home and her father will take her back into the house," said the barrister.

He added that his client is not in a position to pay any compensation. “All of the monies were disposed off. She’s been in custody since August and has had no access to benefits,” said Mr Halleron, adding the defendant has already completely the equivalent of a seven-and-a-half months jail term.

Regarding compensation, District Judge Michael Ranaghan said there is no money there to return and her father, who is the victim, is willing to have her home. “I can infer from that he is not seeking compensation,” he said.

For each of the fraud charges he sentenced the defendant to seven months in jail and for the drugs offence a term of two months in prison, all to run concurrently.

"That should bring about Ms Hart’s release," he said.