A Fife woman has been convicted of fraud after “selling” customers kittens which had already been seized by the Scottish SPCA.
After a two-day trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Samantha Piaget was convicted of two charges and told her evidence had “inconsistencies”.
The 25-year-old told the court she took kittens from a friend in Dunfermline who was in hospital and posted adverts on social media and sites like Gumtree at her request.
Piaget agreed two sales with customers in spring 2021 and took deposits in cash and through Paypal.
However, officers from the Scottish SPCA had already seized the kittens while Piaget was negotiating pickup times and locations with the buyers.
First victim
At a previous hearing, Darren Cooper said he and his partner had spotted kittens advertised on Facebook, agreed to meet the sellers in Lochgelly and paid £150 in cash to Piaget.
Mr Cooper said they were told they would have to wait four or five weeks before seeing and taking home their new pets.
The 52-year-old said Piaget did not reply to his texts when collection time came.
He went to a property in Lochgelly in the hope of collecting the kittens but a man there told him to go to an address in Dunfermline’s Lauder Street.
Mr Cooper said a male at the address, thought to be Piaget’s brother, told him the kittens had been stolen and it had been reported to police.
He said Piaget told him she did not have the money to refund him.
Mr Cooper said: “The man was really angry and I felt that it was not really safe.
“I felt we were possibly in danger and at that point, I wanted to leave and Samantha said she would give the money back that Friday but that never happened”.
Mr Cooper reported the matter to police and never received any kittens.
Procurator fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson referred to a series of WhatsApp messages between Mr Cooper and Piaget.
One referred to him asking her for a refund, with Piaget replying the kittens had been removed by the Scottish SPCA.
Second buyer
Student veterinary nurse Rebecca Hynd, 24, told the court she lost £130 to Piaget for a kitten she never received.
She found an online advert for a litter and made enquiries through Facebook Messenger.
Ms Hynd said she went to a property in Crosshill to visit the kitten at the door – it was during the pandemic – and paid a deposit over PayPal.
“I was asked for additional money to pay for a vaccine.
“That’s when alarm bells started to ring as I assumed the deposit would cover the vaccine and worming costs.
“I believe this was around £40. I believe I did pay the money and it was also through PayPal.
“I asked for regular updates and photos – which were provided – and had already discussed a date of collection.
“I got two or three updates over the space of four weeks. I was satisfied with that.”
Ms Hynd said she had lost one of her cats at the time and was “willing to pay a bit extra”.
However, when it came to collection, she was told to go to a different address in Dunfermline‘s Lauder Street.
After twice knocking the door, Ms Hynd said she was greeted by a man who “seemed very angry”.
Ms Hynd said she messaged Piaget as the situation seemed “strange”.
She asked for her deposit back and said she would contact police unless refunded within a certain period.
She said Piaget also had excuses for the collection delay, adding: “I did not get the kitten from Samantha or the refund.”
Outlined position
Piaget, of Castle Avenue in Crosshill, said she had taken the kittens from her friend, their owner, while she was in hospital.
She said she advertised them online at her request, arranged buyers and visits and took deposits.
But by the time it came to collection, Piaget said the kittens were back with her friend.
She told the court she found out SSPCA officers had raided the friend’s house two days before police spoke to her in May 2020.
However, the SSPCA raid actually took place in mid-March.
Whatsapp messages dated after the raid took place were shown in court and outlined collection details to customers.
Despite telling police she had agreed repayment plans, the money was never repaid and Piaget said she had been blocked by one of the customers.
Sheriff Gill found Piaget guilty of pretending to sell to kittens for agreed sums of money between February and April last year and obtaining that money by fraud.
He ordered social work reports and deferred sentencing until December 7.
The sheriff said he found the victims to be credible and reliable but found “inconsistencies” in Piaget’s story.
