Perthshire cleaner stole thousands from 85-year-old woman

A cleaner who used a “frail” and “fragile” 85-year-old woman’s bank card to buy her own goods will appear for sentencing at Perth Sheriff Court on March 25.

The court was told that Louise McGregor, 43, of Sauchie Terrace, Bridge of Earn, had caused “extra stress” to the pensioner after plundering her bank account.

“This put an additional burden on the woman’s heart condition,” said depute fiscal Bill Kermode.

“The woman had given the accused, who worked as her cleaner, her bank card for shopping.”

McGregor’s solicitor said her client was unable to pay her bills and used the card to buy various goods.

“My client began paying for household expenses with this card,” she said.

“She fully intended to pay it back.”

McGregor admitted that on a number of occasions between October 24 2012 and May 25 last year she fraudulently obtained goods worth £4,486.19 at various stores, including the Co-op, Crieff, B&Q Perth, and Asda, Morrisons and Tesco.

All the stores where she used the card were in Perth.

Sheriff Michael Fletcher deferred sentence on McGregor to give her a chance to begin paying back money towards the sum owed to her victim.