Addict stole £3k from dementia sufferer aged 88

COURTS: Man jailed after stripping OAP’s bank account to fund heroin-buying spree for him and his partially disabled brother

A heroin addict raided an 88-year-old Angus dementia sufferer’s account and stole nearly £3,000 and used the cash to buy drugs for himself and his one-legged brother.

The pensioner had left his pin number attached to the bank card stolen by Scott McLoughlan from Brechin.

McLoughlan, 40 was sent to prison for the sickening crime but a sheriff expressed frustration he could only impose a maximum period of eight months for the offence.

Forfar Sheriff Court heard McLoughlan made nine visits on consecutive days to a bank in Montrose after stealing the card, withdrawing £300 on each occasion.

The crime came to light after a concerned neighbour who helped the victim with his shopping saw he had little food in his fridge and then discovered his bank card was missing.

When police were called, their investigation revealed McLoughlan and his brother had previously been seen around the victim’s home, with the accused using an alias when challenged.

McLoughlan admitted stealing the bank card between August 30 and September 6, and nine further separate charges of stealing £300 by using the card at the TSB in Montrose on consecutive days from September 6 to 15.

Defence solicitor Nick Whelan said his client had not offended for eight years and was now the primary carer for his brother, who had lost a leg.

“The accused’s explanation is that the victim left the pin number on the back of the card,” said the solicitor.

“It is a significant sum of money over a short period of time but he then fell back into his old ways of heroin abuse.

“Both he and his brother had a heroin habit, so effectively the money was being used to fund drugs.”

Sheriff Murray told McLoughlan, of Market Street: “There are some cases in which society, quite rightly, demands a significant custodial sentence and this is one of those.

“You cannot steal around £3,000 from an elderly man with severe dementia and expect anything else.

“I am restricted in the maximum sentence I can impose, and have to give you the one-third discount you are entitled to in light of your guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.”

At times, it can be hard to understand the depths to which people will stoop in their criminal endeavours. Sickening Scott McLoughlan preyed on a dementiasuffering pensioner, stealing his bank card and emptying his account to feed a drug habit.

Unfortunately the victim had to keep his PIN beside his card so he could access his cash.

McLoughlan must have known he was preying on one of the most vulnerable members of his community. It did not stop him.

Society rightly calls for the full force of the law to be used against such depraved criminals and the sheriff dealing with the case lamented the maximum eight-month sentence he could impose.

Such crimes against older people are becoming more common.

Sentencing authorities have legislated to ensure crimes aggravated by race, colour, disability and sexual orientation can attract stiffer sentences.

Domestic abusers and those who attack emergency workers in the course of their duty face extra penalties.

There is no reason crimes cannot be considerd to have been aggravated by age and it is time serious thought is given to providing an extra protection to elderly people to reflect the outrage right-thinking people feel when hearing of such acts as McLoughlan’s.