Wick woman who cheated friend out of £14k is paying back debt, court hears

Fiona Taylor who cheated an elderly friend out of £14,000 won't be sentenced until the new year.

The 66-year-old confirmed at Wick Sheriff Court last week that she has begun compensating Albert Millington for the amount she misappropriated.

Solicitor Sylvia Maclennan said that Taylor had lodged £4500 with her and the sum would be passed onto 88-year-old Mr Millington. In addition, a standing order repaying him at the monthly rate of £500 has been set up and will continue until the debt is cleared.

Sheriff Neil Wilson deferred sentence on Taylor until February 6 to ensure that the financial arrangements are running smoothly.

The repayments offer was unexpectedly flagged up last month when the sheriff warned Taylor that if she failed to carry out her obligations "to the letter", he would have "no hesitation" in jailing her for 10 months.

Taylor was originally charged on indictment with defrauding Mr Millington of £40,000 but the figure was slashed to £14,000 in plea-bargaining with the prosecution which resulted in her changing her plea to one of guilty.

Taylor, of Glamis Road, Wick, got to know Mr Millington when she operated a taxi service in Wick and began to run him about. But she betrayed the friendship and used his cash for herself between December 2015 and July 2016. The accused gambled away some of the money.

The case has been before the court intermittently for more than two years and is now set to enter another year.

Initially, there was a problem in getting Taylor to come to court to face the music and at one point the prosecution issued a warrant for her apprehension. Then there was an issue with Taylor's fitness to plead to the indictment and, after protracted medical input, she was deemed fit.

At one point her legal agent withdrew and Miss Maclennan was “parachuted in” to take over and start the defence to Taylor's earlier not guilty plea.