A carer accused of embezzling more than £48,000 from an 83-year-old dementia patient had a limited income and saved hard to afford new furniture, a court has heard.
Kathleen MacKay is said to have taken the money from Alison Hildreth’s account over a two-year period from 2018.
However, friends and relatives of the 68-year-old said she did not live an extravagant lifestyle and showed no signs of newfound wealth.
Car repairs questioned
Her son William McDonald told the court his mother did not own a small sports car, as claimed by a former colleague but drove a Seat Ibiza which had previously been written off by an insurance company.
He said he undertook work on the vehicle to get it into a roadworthy condition, estimating his mother had spent around £500 on parts.
He said: “The car was bought at a salvage auction.
“It was accident-damaged and an insurance write-off.
“Including delivery it cost around £500.
“I bought her old car for my wife to learn to drive in and part of it (the money to buy the new car) would have come from that.”
He said he had paid his mother around £300 for her old car.
The court was previously told MacKay withdrew £4,000 to pay for a new engine but Mr McDonald said it would have made no sense to put such expensive kit in a £500 car.
He said if the car had needed one he would have sourced a second hand engine for around £250.
Living room decoration
MacKay’s friend of 40 years Susan Padley, said she had asked her to look after cash as she saved for items for her living room.
She said MacKay bought a TV unit, a coffee table and two side tables for a total of £800, saving up over the course of several months.
She said: “The living room would have been decorated around two years ago.
“She was giving me the money to take care of for her.”
Jury urged not to convict
The court had previously heard from Mrs Hildreth’s son Allan, who said there were numerous mysterious cash withdrawals from his mother’s account.
A colleague said MacKay explained away lavish spending by saying she had had a lottery win.
Urging the jury not to convict his client, solicitor Russel McPhate said the Crown’s evidence against her was “circumstantial”.
He said although Mr Hildreth had the authority to enact power of attorney over his mother’s affairs if he felt she was incapable, he had not done so until after she had a fall.
Mr McPhate said Mr Hildreth had also accessed his mother’s account.
“He told us he also took money out.
“At no point did he feel he shouldn’t take money out because he didn’t have her consent.
“He was of the opinion that she was able to give consent to use that account.
“There’s no reason to assume that she could not give that permission to anyone else.”
He said there was no CCTV or other evidence to tie MacKay to the transactions.
MacKay, of David Street, Dunfermline, denies embezzling £48,094.85 from Mrs Hildreth at several addresses in in the town between May 1, 2018 and May 31, 2020.
Evidence in the trial, before Sheriff Susan Duff, has concluded and the jury is expected to start deliberation on Tuesday morning.
