Niece stole £71k meant for aunt’s dementia care
Bankrupt relative abused role as power of attorney
A DENTAL worker embezzled £71,000 from her OAP aunt which was meant to pay for her care home fees as she battled dementia.
Kerry Sinclair convinced family members to let her take power of attorney over the affairs of Jessie Sutherland as she struggled with ill-health.
Heartless Sinclair arranged for the sale of Jessie’s home to help meet charges for the Edinburgh care home.
But the 39-year-old, who had been declared bankrupt, withdrew huge sums intended to fund Jessie’s final years.
The missing money was only discovered after Jessie’s account could no longer pay the care home fees, sparking an investigation by council officials.
Sinclair appeared at the city’s sheriff court yesterday and admitted embezzling £71,425.63 between 2017 and 2019.
The court heard Sinclair approached Jessie’s son, James Sutherland, and suggested an application be made for power of attorney to manage Jessie’s affairs.
Prosecutor Jack Castor said Sinclair was made bankrupt in October 2016 and the law meant she shouldn’t have been able to exercise a power of attorney.
He said Jessie, then 68, was put in the city’s Gylemuir House care home in June 2017 and was deemed to have “sufficient funds” to pay its fees herself.
Jessie was moved into the Forthland Lodge care home that November.
But by May 2018, there were “no longer sufficient funds” to meet care costs and Jessie’s home needed to be sold.
The property raised £155,000 but Sinclair contacted City of Edinburgh Council to say Jessie didn’t have the money to continue paying for care.
A local authority probe then found a shortfall of more than £75,000.
Sinclair, a part-time worker at a dental surgery, had made withdrawals from Jessie’s account.
Jessie died last December, aged 72. She had been able to remain at the care home with her fees being met by the council.
Sheriff Wendy Sheehan deferred sentence on Sinclair, of the city’s Pilton, until next month.
She told her she had “abused your position of trust”, adding there was “fairly high likelihood” she would be jailed.