Family is often our foundation of trust, but what happens when that foundation cracks? Well, this is the story of Hayley Matthews and how she stole from her parents.
Key Takeaways
- Former STV presenter Hayley Matthews abused her power of attorney to steal £120,000 from her dementia-stricken mother’s accounts.
- Matthews spent the stolen money on luxury items, including designer bags, shoes, and clothes from high-end retailers.
- After pleading guilty, Matthews was sentenced to two years and three months in prison for her betrayal of family trust and exploitation of a vulnerable victim.
Hayley Matthews, a former STV presenter, was responsible for caring for her mother, Janice Matthews, finance after being handed power of attorney.
In 2019, Janice was diagnosed with vascular dementia, and she was also battling alcohol addiction. Hence, Janice was admitted to the hospital on a compulsion order.
With the finances in her hand, Hayley withdrew £120,000 from her mother’s accounts between September 2019 and November 2022 to fund her lavish lifestyle.
Only after Janice passed away in September 2021, other family members started questioning her mother’s estate, which stood at only $36,000.
In January 2022, she was confronted by her father, Alistair Matthews, about all the spending, to which she replied in a text,
“You’re right, I’ve been shocking at handling mum’s money and paperwork.”
Hayley Matthews
She continued,
“I’ve spent what I shouldn’t and used money I shouldn’t. I wasn’t in a very good place when looking after her, but I tried my best.”
Hayley Matthews
Observing her bank statement, it was found that she spent her mother’s cash on a luxury bag, shoe, and clothes at Harvey Nichols, Kurt Geiger, Molton Brown, and Marks & Spencer.
Hayley was arrested in January 2023; in June 2024, she was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.
While announcing her sentences, Procurator Fiscal for Lothian and Borders Lynne Barrie said,
Hayley Matthews was placed in a position of family trust to oversee her mother’s financial affairs. But she abused that responsibility by stealing thousands of pounds and used that money to brazenly fund an extravagant lifestyle. This case demonstrates that those who seek to exploit vulnerable victims for their own personal gain will be held to account for their crimes.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Hayley Matthews was formerly part of BBC Radio Scotland and a newspaper columnist for the Edinburgh Evening News.
- It was her sister, Danielle Thomson, who discovered her fraud.
- Previously, Matthews had her own news site, www.Mutherland.co.uk.
