A woman who wiped out her mother’s savings in a month to fund her gambling habit has been told only her grandchildren can save her from prison.
Lynne Cree stole her mother’s bank card and emptied more than £6,000 from the 82-year-old’s Post Office account as she chased her losses.
Yesterday Sheriff John Rafferty called for reports and told Cree she should be jailed but might get a chance to walk free to look after her young grandchildren.
Solicitor Alex Short told Dundee Sheriff Court Cree looked after them for her daughter on a regular basis.
Sheriff Rafferty said: “This is something that clearly warrants a custodial sentence. The only thing that can divert me from that is the position of the grandchildren.
“The only course to avoid custody is to defer sentence and see if something else becomes available. The people doing the report should consider carefully the position of her grandchildren.”
Daisy Cree, 82, broke down when Post Office staff told her she had just £80 left in her account when she thought she had more than £6,000.
Her 50-year-old daughter admitted stealing £6,075 from her mother between December 31 2017 and January 23 2018.
Depute fiscal Christine Allan told the court Cree had moved in with her mother in Dundee’s Roseburn Gardens during 2017 after her gambling problem led to the breakdown of a relationship.
She said her mother was aware of her problem and had limited trust in her daughter, going so far as taking her handbag into her bedroom each night to hide it.
Mrs Allan said the accused had been given the Pin for the bank card so she could help with her frail mother’s shopping.
Later, she took the card and began helping herself to cash from machines around the city while her mother spent a period in hospital.
The court was told that on Christmas Eve the account had £5,342 deposited in it but by the time the theft came to light on January 30, only £80 was left.
Mrs Cree Sr checked her savings at the end of January 2018.
“She was shocked when she was told by bank staff and began crying and had to be aided by a member of staff,” said Mrs Allan. “During an interview the accused freely stated she had taken the Post Office card around the end of December 2017. She was aware of the Pin, having previously done shopping for the complainer.
“The accused stated she had withdrawn several thousand pounds from various ATMs across Dundee over the following month.
“She was extremely tearful during interview and advised that as a result of spiralling gambling debts she had stolen the money out of desperation.
“She stated she had since admitted her actions to her mother and family and they are attempting to rebuild their relationship and put the incident behind them.”
The court was told that Cree had taken steps to give up gambling.
“I was thinking I would win it back, but it just got further and further,” the accused told police.
“It could have been every day. My mum put a block on the card.
“I’ve now made up with all my family and have managed to stop gambling,” she said.
Miss Short said: “She has clearly gone through quite a serious gambling addiction, almost losing her family. She is accepting of what she’s done and the distress she has caused her family and her mother.
“She understands what a terrible thing she’s done and she’s very remorseful.”
Sheriff Rafferty deferred sentence and ordered a restriction of liberty order report.
