Daughter who raided sick mother’s savings fronts court

A suspiciously expensive jumper tipped a woman’s family off to a massive fraud, perpetrated while their mother was in the throes of cognitive decline.

A suspicious $100 jumper in the possession of Jennifer Anne Laidlaw Cupples led to her family uncovering a string of fraudulent withdrawals that the Toowoomba woman made from her sick mother’s bank account.

The Toowoomba District Court heard yesterday that the 62-year-old Cupples’ told her sister that the pricey garment was a Christmas gift from the mother.

Sensing something was off, the sister checked her mother’s bank account to find Cupples had racked up $53,300 worth of unexplained withdrawals, cash transfers and personal expenses, dating from March 17 to December 13, 2016.

Crown Prosecutor Shontelle Petrie said Cupples confessed to taking the money and immediately paid it back.

Ms Petrie asked Justice Dennis Lynch to jail Cupples despite her clean record, to deter other people with enduring powers of attorney from abusing their authority.

“Because offences like this are regularly committed by upstanding citizens,” she said.

For the defence, barrister David Jones offered 13 character references, including medical staff, that spoke of the “genuine and labour-intensive care” she showed to her mum.

“This extended to sitting with her during loud storms, to bring comfort,” he said.

He added the Cupples’ family cut her off from her mother, after the discovery.

Noting the Cupples had made full restitution and made an early plea of guilty to one count of fraud, Justice Lynch ordered a two-year jail term, suspended for two years.