MS victim nearly losthome over daughter'sswindling

A WOMAN who suffers from multiple sclerosis feared she would lose her home after her eldest daughter systematically plundered her bank accounts and failed to keep up her mortgage repayments.

Janice Hobson, who requires three carers for her day-to-day needs, thought she was financially sound and just a year away from paying off the mortgage on her home, but she was devastated to find out last year that her daughter Tracy had stolen more than 50,000 from her bank accounts, run up huge debts on her debit and credit cards and stopped paying bills from the taxman and her mortgage providers.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday how 36-year-old Hobson, who used to work for a credit union, took over all aspects of her mother’s financial affairs in January 2006, but almost immediately she began to abuse the trust placed in her.

Between early 2006 and the middle of last year Hobson, of Stanley Terrace, Brighouse, withdrew more than 50,000 from her mother’s accounts, fraudulently applied for a 20,000 loan in her mother’s name and used one credit card up to its 9,000 limit.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sharpe said it was a striking feature of the case that Hobson stopped making the mortgage repayments and paying other bills in order to make sure there was enough money in the accounts for her own use.

Although Hobson’s offending had not affected her mother’s care, Mr Sharpe said a victim personal statement from Mrs Hobson gave an indication of how close she came to financial disaster.

Mrs Hobson, 55, described how she suffered stress and worry about losing her home and the possibility that the council may stop paying for her care.

“I have lost my relationship with Tracy and it will never be the same,” she said. “Her actions have upset the entire family. I will never be able to trust Tracy again.”

Mrs Hobson said she felt betrayed by her daughter and explained how she had had to borrow money to pay off arrears and extend her mortgage.

The court heard that another daughter had suspicions about Hobson’s activities and when one of the bank accounts was looked at they found transactions relating to the QVC television shopping channel. There were also mobile phone top-ups and numerous cash withdrawals. Hobson was confronted and admitted what she had been doing.

Hobson admitted four charges of theft and eight fraud matters and Mr Sharpe told Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC that her offending amounted in total to just under 120,000.

“While it is impossible to quantify exactly how much has been taken out of the accounts for Tracy Hobson’s use as opposed to legitimately on behalf of her mother Tracy Hobson herself estimates that some 75 per cent of the total she took out was dissipated for Tracy Hobson’s use rather than legitimately for her mother,” Mr Sharpe said.

Hobson’s barrister Stephen Wood said she was sorry for what she had done and what she had put her mother through.

Jailing Hobson for four years, Judge Durham Hall described the offences as the “systematic, wicked and despicable” abuse of her mother’s funds.

“Over the period from early 2006 until the middle or thereabouts of 2009 having willingly taken on the responsibility and control of every aspect of your mother’s financial well-being you systematically plundered her necessary funds in order to satisfy... your own personal benefit,” said the judge.

“The effect on your mother has been very nearly disastrous. For you failed to discharge her mortgage. You ran up massive debts on credit cards. You failed to pay catalogue debts, utility bills and the revenue.

“Genuine carers deserve and inevitably do not ask for the respect that they are due. You must, by your example, not deter carers, but the court clearly has to reflect the depths and significance of your thieving in the only appropriate way.”

Hobson pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing to stealing 500 from the Calderdale Credit Union and that matter was ordered to lie on the file.