Drug addict tried to steal £5,000 from alzheimer’s sufferer

Man tried to convince bank staff his ‘aunt’ was buying him furniture

A drug addict took an elderly neighbour suffering from alzheimer’s by taxi to a bank and tried to steal £5,000 from her.

Lee Fawcett took advantage of the woman’s confused state of mind and claimed she was his aunt.

He told bank staff his “aunt” wanted to withdraw the cash to buy furniture for his flat. However, the scam failed and Fawcett, 38, of High Street, Burntisland, was jailed for 22 months at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Depute fiscal Sarah Lumsden told the court: “The complainer is 74 and in 2015 she was diagnosed with alzheimer’s and her memory has deteriorated significantly. Her son and his wife have placed a GPS tracking device in her handbag.

“It is believed Fawcett met the complainer in the street when he was begging there.”

At 3.20pm on February 2 a taxi driver received a hire to take Fawcett and the woman from Burntisland to Kirkcaldy.

The woman’s son received a text message from the GPS tracker indicating his mother had left the Burntisland area.

The taxi driver dropped them off in Kirkcaldy and they went into the RBS branch on Rosslyn Street.

At the cash counter, a staff member was concerned because of the woman’s appearance. Her hair was unkempt and she was wearing wellington boots.

Fawcett then asked the victim to withdraw £5,000 from her account.

The staff member serving them noticed Fawcett appeared “agitated” while the woman looked “confused”.

A warning on the bank worker’s computer gave information that the woman was under a power of attorney.

The manager was informed and the woman was asked if she knew Fawcett. She said she did not know him.

Relatives were informed and the police were called.

Defence solicitor Martin McGuire said his client lived close to the woman.

He said Fawcett was a long-term heroin addict, having started taking it when he was 17, and had rent arrears.

He admitted arranging for a taxi to take him and the woman to a bank, taking her inside requesting she make a withdrawal from her account, asking staff to provide the money and attempting to steal £5,000.

The complainer was diagnosed with alzheimer’s and her memory has deteriorated significantly