A callous Aberdeen thief who stole a £3,000 ring from her ill mother in hospital has been fined just £360.
Victoria Stephen’s mum had been recovering from a stroke in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary when her daughter struck.
Hospital staff found Stephen, 38, grabbing her mother’s belongings before managing to make off with the jewellery, which was worth £3,000 and never recovered.
Sentence had been deferred for reports at an earlier hearing, but now Stephen, who admitted a charge of theft, has returned to the dock to learn her fate.
Victoria Stephen has since made ‘changes’ in her life
Defence agent Debbie Ginniver a social work report was “positive” and “detailed”, adding she did not wish to rehearse the details.
She said: “She has accepted full responsibility in terms of taking the ring.
“It was her mother’s ring. Her mother had given Ms Stephen the ring at some point, the ring had been returned to her mother and she accepts it was no longer hers and she had no right to take it.”
Sheriff Eric Brown fined Stephen, of Charlotte Street, Aberdeen, £360.
At an earlier hearing, fiscal depute Stephanie Cardow took the court through the details of the offence, which happened at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in August 2019.
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