A 66-year-old woman from Kilmarnock who impersonated her husband's voice to defraud him of nearly £100,000 has been sentenced. Karen Lawrence pleaded guilty at Ayr Sheriff Court to a fraudulent scheme targeting her husband John's mortgage and pension.
Prosecutors said Lawrence made three calls to a mortgage firm in July 2019, adopting a male voice to pretend to be her husband. This allowed her to withdraw more than £54,500 from the value of their home. She then transferred £54,000 from the couple's joint account into various other accounts.
Using similar tactics, Lawrence made six calls to a pension company, again impersonating her husband, to take £45,101.68 from his pension. In total, she illegally obtained £99,659.12.
During the case, Lawrence claimed she was the victim of a fake online romance fraudster and sent the money to them. However, the court imposed a community payback order requiring 300 hours of unpaid work within 12 months, along with two years of supervision and a six-month restriction of liberty from 8pm to 6am.
Procurator fiscal Anne Marie Hicks said Lawrence committed a serious betrayal of trust, going to extreme lengths to fraudulently obtain significant sums. A 10-year non-harassment order was also issued, banning her from contacting the victim.
