Edinburgh presenter Hayley Matthews jailed for 27 months after embezzling from dementia suffering mum

Hayley Matthews splashed out on a designer Mulberry handbag, swimming lessons for two children and made cash withdrawals of £38,000 with the stolen cash.

Matthews, 44, began spending her elderly mother Janice Matthew’s money after being made power of attorney over her mother’s financial affairs in 2019.

The television personality also spent her mother’s money on Amazon purchases amounting to £13,648.97, eBay goods worth £1137.82 and more than £5000 with the White Company.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court also heard the former STV2 presenter made purchases with Harvey Nichols, H&M, Milton Brown and Monsoon and on goods from Greggs, Deliveroo, Five Guys and Hotel Chocolat.

Hayley Matthews has been jailed | Alex Lawrie

Matthews pleaded guilty to embezzling £120,000 from mother while acting as power of attorney between September 24, 2019 and November 8, 2022 when she appeared at the capital court last month.

She returned to the dock for sentencing on Thursday where Sheriff Alison Stirling said she had been in “a position of trust” and said her behaviour has had “a serious impact” on her family.

Sheriff Stirling added: “Custody is the only appropriate disposal. Your actions were deliberate and  repeated over a period of more than three years.”

The sheriff sentenced Mathews, of Restalrig, Edinburgh, to a period of 27 months in custody.

Lawyer Kieran Clegg, defending, said his client admitted her spending had been “selfish and extravagant” and had offered “very little in the way of explanation”.

Mr Clegg said custody would have “a substantial impact on her family”, would be “significantly detrimental” to her and that she had been deemed as “a very low risk of reoffending”.

Previously prosecutor Nadia Stewart told the court Janice Matthews was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2019 and suffered from an alcohol addiction leading her to being admitted to hospital on a compulsion order.

Hayley Matthews took control of her mother’s financial affairs but concerns were raised about the finances following the death of Mrs Matthews in September 2021.

The court heard Matthews’ sister Danielle Thomson queried the amount she would be receiving from her mother’s estate and that the radio presenter had been “dismissive” of her enquiries.

Matthews family received copies of Mrs Matthews bank statements and noticed “cashline withdrawals had substantially increased” after she had been admitted to hospital.

Dad Alistair Matthews, a retired fire fighter, then contacted his daughter for an explanation in January 2022 where she admitted spending large sums for her own gain.

The fiscal said Matthews told her father: “You’re right, I’ve been shocking handling mum’s money and paperwork. I’ve spent what I shouldn’t and used money I shouldn’t. I wasn’t in a very good place when looking after her but I tried my best.

“I massively over compensated and used money that I shouldn’t have but I tried my absolute best.”

The court was told Matthews’ sister “analysed the transactions on her mother’s bank accounts” and after spotting around £100,000 was missing decided to contact the police.

Matthews was arrested on January 5 last year and during an interview she said she had spent money on hampers at Harvey Nichols for hospital staff and clothes for her partner.

The fiscal depute said among the illegal transactions there had been 371 PayPal payments between October 2019 and September 2021 that amounted to £46,763.

Matthews is a former presenter of the STV2 arts magazine show Live at Five, has worked as a radio presenter withTalk 107, Forth 1 and Real Radio and was a newspaper columnist, including for the Edinburgh Evening News, before resigning last year.

She has also worked alongside Lorraine Kelly on the STV Children's Appeal live show and has interviewed stars including Jason Donovan, Amy Winehouse, Andy Williams, Nile Rogers and Gary Numan.