A WOMAN who stole more than £200,000 from her own mother to fund her own 'selfish desires' has been jailed for four years.
Luana Dougherty, 50, used some of the money to buy two Staffordshire Bull Terrier dogs and to set up a dog breeding business.
Dougherty, of Acre Road, Great Sutton, Cheshire, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday, September 9, having previously pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
Dementia
The case began in June 2021 when Dougherty's mother, who is living with dementia, sold her house.
The proceeds of the sale went into her personal bank account, while she gave some of the money to her daughter.
However, Dougherty also set up an online banking application for her mother's account and took more money without permission.
This continued for another 12 months, during which time she spent large sums of money, including on furniture, two Staffordshire Bull Terrier dogs and setting up a dog breeding business.
In July 2022, family members contacted the victim's bank after raising concerns about how Dougherty came to have so much money available to her.
The bank informed them that withdrawals had been made from the account for the past year in various amounts.
Dougherty was confronted and admitted taking the money and spending most of it.
She transferred £80,000 back but more than £216,000 was unaccounted for.
The incident was reported to police and in interview, Dougherty admitted to taking the money and taking advantage of her mother's vulnerability to defraud her.
Following enquiries, Dougherty was subsequently charged with the offence.
'Abused position'
"Firstly, I would like to highlight our appreciation for the victim's family's patience, not only throughout the investigation into Dougherty's offending, but also in providing evidence to support it," said DC Chester Ward of Cheshire Constabulary.
"Dougherty completely abused her position. Instead of being someone the victim could trust to take care of her, she stole money from her for her own selfish desires.
"The lengthy sentence which has been handed down to her by the courts is a credit to all the officers who worked hard to bring her to justice.
"As this case demonstrates, please can we remind people to be vigilant and check on any vulnerable members of your family."
