Gambling Addict Steals From Daughter For Slots

Inverness gambling addict mum blew daughter's £7,000 on slot machines
By Laurence Ford

A 71-year-old widow stole £7,000 from her daughter and blew it on slot machines at a city bingo club.

Inverness Sheriff Court was told how Celeste Stewart, who lived with her soldier husband in Kenya, regularly sent her mother cash to cover any repair and other bills for two properties she owned in Inverness.

But her mum, Margaret Davies, of Rowan Road, Inverness, developed a gambling addiction and used the money to feed her habit at the bingo hall slot machines.

Davies admitted that between August 1, 2009 and May 30, 2011, having received £7,000 from her daughter while she was outwith the country, she stole the money.

Depute fiscal David Bernard said the daughter became suspicious when payments were not made to a joiner who was installing a new bathroom in one of her flats.

He said on May 30, Mrs Stewart asked a friend to get the money from her mother to pay for the work, and she arranged to pick it up but this did not happen despite her calling at the house on several occasions.

"On this date the complainer accused her mother of stealing the money," said Mr Bernard.

"The accused reacted angrily to this and said the money would be in her account within a week. The matter was raised with the police and inquiries carried out, and the accused attended on a voluntary basis at Burnet Road Police Station.

"During interview she confirmed that she had control of her daughter’s finances and made a full confession that she had used the money to gamble on the slot machines at the bingo in Inverness."

Solicitor Duncan Henderson told Sheriff Ian Abercrombie: "This is a truly tragic case. My client knows she has let not only her family and society, but herself down.

"She is, frankly, mortified to be in court. She accepts entirely that it is her own fault, that she lost money on these gambling machines, and a breach of trust on top of that.

"She gave up work to look after her mother who was in poor health and died shortly thereafter. Her children had left home and it is in that vacuum, for want of a better word, that she has fallen into this gambling addiction."

Sheriff Abercrombie deferred sentence for six months for good behaviour and to give Davies a chance to repay some of the money. He also imposed a home curfew from 6pm to 6am.

He told her: "Were it not for your age, and the fact that you are totally contrite and have already made steps to repay part of this money which you filched from your daughter in a breach of family trust, I would not be persuaded to defer sentence."