Her family questioned how she had so much money and it was the ultimate betrayal

A woman stole £200,000 off her vulnerable mum for her own "selfish desires". Luana Dougherty's mum, who is living with dementia, sold her house and the proceeds went into her personal bank account.

Dougherty, 50, was given some of the money by her mum, but she also set up an online banking application for her mother’s account and took more money without permission. This continued for another 12 months, during which she spent large sums of money, including on two Staffordshire Bull Terrier dogs, furniture, and setting up a dog breeding business.

In July 2022, family members contacted the victim’s bank after raising concerns about how Doughtery came to have so much money available to her. The bank informed them that withdrawals had been made from the account for the past year in various amounts.

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The fraudster was confronted and she admitted taking the money and spending most of it. She transferred £80,000 back but more than £216,000 was unaccounted for.

It was reported to police and in interview Doughtery admitted to taking the money and taking advantage of her mother’s vulnerability to defraud her. Following enquiries, Dougherty was subsequently charged with the offence.

Dougherty, of Acre Road, Great Sutton, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday, September 9 where she was jailed for four years. She had previously pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.

After the sentencing, DC Chester Ward said: “Firstly, I would like to highlight our appreciation for the victim’s family’s patience, not only throughout the investigation into Dougherty’s offending, but also in providing evidence to support it. Dougherty completely abused her position. Instead of being someone the victim could trust to take care of her, she stole money from her for her own selfish desires.

“The lengthy sentence which has been handed down to her by the courts is a credit to all the officers who worked hard to bring her to justice. As this case demonstrates, please can we remind people to be vigilant and check on any vulnerable members of your family. If you believe you have experienced any offences of fraud, these can be reported to Cheshire Police via 101, or through our website.”