James Kelly, 64, stole £30,000 from his dad with dementia for clothes and tickets, receiving a sentence in Paisley.
His father, also named James, was in Dykebar Hospital. The hospital is in Paisley. The court gave Kelly a Restriction of Liberty order for a year. He also must do community service for two years. This includes supervision.
Paisley Sheriff Court handed down the sentence. Kelly pleaded guilty to embezzlement. He admitted to stealing the funds. His father, age 88 when it happened, has since died.
The court learned Kelly spent the money. He bought clothes, CDs, and concert tickets. A prosecutor, David Bernard, commented on the case. He said Kelly had the duty to manage his father’s money.
Instead, Kelly broke that trust and stole. He took advantage of being a guardian. He embezzled money from his dad, who couldn’t act. Bernard said the public will likely be shocked, due to the amount of money stolen; prosecutors take this crime very seriously.
The court heard Kelly became his father’s guardian in 2015. The appointment happened because his father had dementia. The court made the decision. Kelly had to give the Public Guardian bank statements. These statements showed his father’s accounts, for The Public Guardian to review them.
In May 2017, a Public Guardian official noticed something. They saw many large cash withdrawals. These happened while the father stayed in the hospital. They estimated a total of £30,000 was withdrawn. This happened over 14 months, from March 2016 to May 2017. After the review, Kelly confessed to stealing. He said he used the money for his own life. The matter went to Police Scotland. Police then arrested Kelly.