Befriended pensionerthen stole £300from account

A“desperate”woman befriended an elderly Alzheimer’s sufferer in the street and was invited back to her home.

But hard-hearted Elizabeth Reid then stole the 76-year-old’s bank card and used her PIN number to steal £300 from her account.

The 41-year-old, said to have fallen behind with her rent, was ordered to repay the cash at the rate of £20 a month.

Reid, of Green Park, Kinross, will also have to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.

Sheriff Gillian Wade told her she had taken advantage of an elderly woman who suffered from serious health problems.

Reid admitted stealing the card from an address in Kinross on November 25 last year - and then taking the cash from the ATM at the Co-op in Kinross High Street the same day.

The court was told that the accused met the pensioner as she was walking home.

They were unknown to each other but callous Reid asked to go back to her home - and the OAP agreed.

The elderly woman discovered her purse was missing and initially thought she had lost it but the police were alerted after the money was withdrawn from the cash machine.

The PIN number had been written down on a slip of paper in her purse.

Solicitor David Holmes said his client had acted out of desperation because of her rent arrears.

She had subsequently been evicted and was“ashamed and embarrassed” at what she had done.