Alcoholic jailed after conning mum out of £18,000

Defendant Michael Stephen Hughes, 58, was told by a crown court judge that it had been “a disgraceful breach of trust”.

Hughes, of Hampton Way, Acrefair near Wrexham, denied a fraud charge but was convicted at an earlier hearing.

His elderly mother was in ill-health but the defendant’s brother and sister felt excluded. The sister was not allowed to speak to her mother when she lived at home. She ended up in hospital and then in a care home and later died.

But it emerged that he had been using her money as his own and had withdrawn more than £18,400.

He claimed that his mother was a “shopaholic” who enjoyed going out and spending money on clothes. That claim, said Judge Rhys Rowlands, was “ridiculous”.

An investigation under The Proceeds of Crime Act will now take place to see if any money can be retrieved.

Judge Rowlands told Hughes, who entered the dock at Mold Crown Court on two crutches on Thursday, that at the relevant time the defendant’s mother was suffering from progressive dementia and spent much of the time in hospital or in a care home.

“You were living at her home in Cefn Mawr with your wife and son.

“Your younger brother and sister were living away so you were trusted with your mother’s bank card.

“You repaid that trust by repeatedly stealing her money,” he said.

He said he had “frittered it away” during the course of a year. The court heard his brother and sister had become concerned, and had the feeling that the defendant was trying to exclude them.

The sister had been prevented from seeing her mother or speaking to her while she was still at home during the latter part of 2010.

Judge Rowlands said: “The reason for excluding them only became apparent when repeated cash withdrawals were discovered.”

The defendant’s reaction had been to lie – lies repeated before the jury when he had also made unpleasant allegations against his brother in particular.

“You also made the quite ridiculous suggestion that your mother, despite being very, very ill, was spending the money herself on clothes and food.

“Your described her to the jury as a shopaholic.”

The judge said that the truth was that the defendant had used her home as his own and had done the same with her money.

“You were stealing it in a dreadful breach of trust, against an elderly lady towards the end of her life,” Judge Rowlands told him.

He said he could well understand how the family had been split and how the brother and sister must feel at the way he was behaving towards their mother and being unable to prevent it happening.

“You are a thoroughly dishonest individual,” Judge Rowlands told him.

In his pre-sentence report he had maintained his denials but then in a later phone call said that he had spent some of his mother’s money - claiming it was on necessities.

Judge Rowlands said: “You have a long standing drink problem. I read that you drink two thirds of a bottle of Scotch a day. No doubt much of the money was spent on drink, not necessities for the family. This was repeated dishonesty.”

The victim was his own mother who was extremely vulnerable, suffering from dementia – yet he was fleecing her.

Judge Rowlands said that he took into account his character, his medical condition detailed in a GP letter, and his good work at his son’s school.

The offences came to an end six years ago and he had not re-offended since.

But it was too serious to impose a suspended sentence.

Defending barrister Matthew Dunford said that his client suffered from arthritis and heart disease, and appeared to have abused alcohol to cope.

He was currently on medication for a detoxification course, due to start.

His wife came from the Philippines, they had a ten year old son, and the defendant’s main concern was what would happen to them if he went to prison.

It was his understanding that because of her status she would be unable to claim benefits.

During his trial, Hughes claimed that after his mother went to a care home he found bags of clothing unworn, still with the tags on.

She had also given him and his wife money, he said.

He denied using her money as his own and said the cost of plane flights to the Philippines for his wife had been with his mother’s blessing.

But the prosecution said his mother had been a frugal lady who in the last years of her life suffered dementia.

At the time of the conviction Judge Rowlands said it was “pretty despicable behaviour.”