A woman who splurged £50,000 that was meant to pay for her ill father's care home fees has been blasted by a sheriff.
Alison Carson, 53, took thousands from accounts belonging to dementia stricken Hugh McMath, 88, before resorting to buying lottery scratchcards in a desperate attempt to replace the cash.
She had been appointed as his guardian when his health began to deteriorate. The pensioner was being cared for at his home in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, before being moved to a nearby care facility.
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North Lanarkshire Council covered the costs until Carson was granted guardianship allowing her to take control of her father's affairs.
An investigation later revealed she blew money in shops such as Ikea, Game, Smyth's, and Mothercare and also used funds to pay her rent.
Police became involved and staff at the care home told officers McMath, who died in September 2019, lacked the 'capacity' to make purchases in these stores or buy goods online.
Carson, of Shotts, appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court and admitted embezzling £50,000 from her father between August 2016 and February 2018.
Sheriff Joseph Hughes told her he was 'genuinely shocked' at a social work report which revealed Carson continued to insist she had done nothing wrong and said she should prepare herself for prison.
Depute fiscal Lauren Cole told the court: "In February 2018, the social worker at North Lanarkshire Council became aware the council were intending to write to Alison Carson to advise there was an outstanding balance of £51,000 in her father's care home costs.
"Alison Carson stated that she had spent all of the money and that matters had spiralled out of control, she had a lot of debt and had been buying scratch cards to win it back."
The prosecutor added: "A police officer later attended the care home and spoke with a witness from a regular carer of Mr McMath.
"She described his mobility as impaired, he would occasionally fall and sometimes struggle to get out of his chair.
"The only items provided by Alison Carson were relatively inexpensive such as toiletries or underwear and Mr McMath rarely left the home."
The court heard a social worker who interviewed Carson for a sentencing report concluded she had 'no insight' into her actions and remained 'adamant' her father told her to spend the money.
Her lawyer claimed Carson had purchased clothing, bedding, and food for her father in the care home but 'poor record keeping' meant there was no evidence for this.
Gavin Lawson, defending, also told the sheriff that Carson had recently been given two years to live after being diagnosed with cancer but she was ordered to provide medical evidence to the court.
He added: "We have a situation where this money is unaccounted for through extremely poor record keeping and she remains adamant that she was devoted to her father and cared for him deeply but that has to be looked at against these obvious failings.
"Despite the report, in her own mind, she was providing for her father and mistakenly took the view that her father had told her the money was coming to her and that is why she could use it."
Sheriff Hughes said: "I said earlier in your presence how shocked I was when I read that report, genuinely shocked, because you just don't seem to think you have done anything wrong and that is very, very worrying especially when I note that you were critical of earlier comments that you breached your father's trust.
"I haven't made my mind up about anything but you should come back to court on the next occasion prepared to go to prison.
"I have to take into account your health situation but I do not have any vouching for that so will need a medical report confirming what your current position is."
Carson had originally been charged with pocketing £78,311.35 but prosecutors accepted her guilty plea to the lesser amount.
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