New delay to £40k fraud case at Wick

There has been yet another delay in the protracted case of fraud-accused Fiona Taylor.

She was due to appear at Wick Sheriff Court last week but was said to have contracted Covid.

It had been hoped to make further progress with joint negotiations between her solicitor, Sylvia Maclennan, and the Crown, aimed at producing agreement on the charge which would allow Taylor (63) – described as vulnerable – to plead guilty to a reduced or amended version and avoid her having to face the ordeal of a trial.

Miss Maclennan told Sheriff Neil Wilson on Wednesday that the negotiations would have continued then, had Taylor been present.

Indicating progress of the joint talks, Miss Maclennan said a conclusion was "not quite there yet" but hopefully it would lead to a solution.

Miss Maclennan commented: "With Miss Taylor not being present, we can't make that happen today." The solicitor said that given the accused's vulnerability, consultations had to be in short compass.

Taylor's absence is the latest in a string of delays in getting the case heard. Proceedings in the alleged £40,000 fraud have been fraught over the past two years, with repeated adjournments, mainly caused by medical investigations into the accused's fitness to plead. At one point, Taylor was left without legal representation but Miss Maclennan came to the rescue and needed time to get up to speed with the defence.

The charge alleges that Taylor, of Glamis Road, Wick, pretended to pensioner Albert Millington that she needed money to help her granddaughter with her rent arrears and for the purchase and running of the Wick Airport Cafe. Mr Millington was to have been given ownership of the business for his £33,000 investment.

Taylor is further accused of inducing the 88-year-old to pay her a further £7000 for the purchase of a car she would use to drive him about.

The case was further continued until October 5.