A woman who stole more than £1,000 from her 89-year-old disabled grandfather’s funeral fund was jailed for nine months yesterday for her “despicable act”.
Pamela Scrimgeour was remanded in custody last month at Inverness Sheriff Court by a disgusted Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood who told her: “There are no such things as nice crime, but this comes high on the list of despicable acts.”
She had admitted stealing £1,140 from William Cuthbert of Newtonmore between March 7 and March 12 last year.
The theft occurred after Mr Cuthbert had gifted her some money to pay her rent.
Her solicitor, Patrick O’Dea said his client was “ashamed”.
He added: “It is a serious offence, She has undoubtedly harmed her relationship with her grandfather and her family. He has now returned to Perth to live with her mother.”
Sheriff Fleetwood also criticised the author of the background report on Scrimgeour, adding: “I don’t understand how a social worker can conclude that stealing the life savings of an 89 year old man is not a serious crime.
“The tenor of the report is appalling and does not address her history of offending.”
At an earlier hearing, fiscal depute Ross Carvel told the court that Scrimgeour’s grandfather kept the money for his funeral in a sellotaped tin which was locked in a cupboard in his Newtonmore house.
“There were two keys to open it, one in his wallet and the other with his daughter, Mary, Pamela Scrimgeour’s mother.
“There was a period of time that Scrimgeour was in the house and she had her grandfather’s wallet. She had also been in the cupboard where the tin was kept and she was asked by her grandfather what she was doing.
“She said she was looking for a bible, but the truth being that she was removing money. There was around £9,000 in the tin and when it became clear that some of the money had been removed, the police were informed.”
Mr Carvel said the 31-year-old of High Street, Kingussie, had stolen a total of £1,140.
“Police searched her home and found 10 mobile phones. They also found cash wrapped in £100 bundles, and amounting to approximately a bit more than what is believed to have been taken from the tin including a sum which her grandfather had given her to pay for her rent.”