A man who stole £50,000 from his father and spent it on sausage rolls and OnlyFans has been jailed for two years. Stephan Dewar, 31, was sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court after admitting he posed as his vulnerable father to carry out the fraud between 2019 and 2022.
Court hears of deceitful scheme
Fiscal depute Jill Drummond told the court that Dewar had initially persuaded his father, Andrew Dewar, 67, to lend him £5,000 for the purchase of a pub. The court heard that Mr Dewar had suffered a stroke in 2007 and did not use the internet or online banking, but had a substantial pension from his past employment.
Dewar was given bank details to help with the loan, and he used them to set up online banking in his father's name without his knowledge. Phone calls about the transaction were recorded by the bank, and when played back, they were identified as Dewar pretending to be his father.
Sheriff condemns 'despicable crime'
Sheriff George Way said: 'This was a despicable crime. This was a breach of a profound obligation to protect and look after your father – not to steal £50,000 from him.' He added: 'There isn't even a decent explanation, like you had some really serious gambling addiction and you were being threatened by criminals or something of that nature.'
'You have frittered most of this money away in indulging yourself in drink, entertainment, and a lifestyle you couldn't afford. People who breach trust of this type and magnitude have to be punished in a way the public understands. You also failed to appear for this case and cost the public a great deal of money and inconvenience.'
Investigation and sentencing
Dewar's uncle, who held Power of Attorney for Mr Dewar, noticed significant amounts of money had disappeared from his brother's account, prompting an investigation. It quickly became apparent that Dewar had been taking regular amounts from his father's account and indulging in brief flurries of spending.
Solicitor Scott Norrie, defending, said: 'He appreciates it's a very serious offence. There has been a mixture of shame, embarrassment and fear.' He said his client had failed to turn up at court several times because he had 'buried his head in the sand' and had simply carried on working as normal while ignoring the court case. Dewar was jailed for 24 months.
