A fraudster who operated a Wick taxi service will spend Christmas in jail if she doesn’t begin repaying £14,000 to her elderly victim.
Fiona Taylor developed a friendship with the 88-year-old, whom she transported around town, but cheated him out of £14,000 between December 2015 and July 2016.
The 66-year-old had originally been accused of taking £40,000 from him.
She admitted to pretending she needed funds to cover his living expenses and home repairs, but she was spending the money on herself and gambling some of it away.
A court case to bring Taylor to justice has dragged on for more than two years, with most of the delays being blamed on her fitness to plead and a reluctance to take responsibility.
‘No hesistation in jailing’ Wick taxi service operator Fiona Taylor if she doesn’t pay up
Under the threat of jail time, Taylor’s defence lawyer made an unexpected offer of compensation to her victim at Wick Sheriff Court.
Solicitor Sylvia Maclennan’s offer, made on behalf of her client, was accepted by Sheriff Neil Wilson.
But the accused was warned that if she did not follow through with the agreement, she’ll be spending Christmas locked up, as part of a 10-month prison sentence.
Miss Maclennan said that Taylor, of Glamis Road in Wick, had £4,000 that would be paid to her victim of crime and monthly repayments of £500 would be made until the debt was cleared.
Progress will be reviewed on December 13, when Sheriff Wilson expects to
hear that Taylor has complied as expected.
The sheriff stressed that if the financial arrangements were not carried out to the letter, he would have “no hesitation in jailing the accused for 10 months”.
