One former presenter has been found guilty of embezzling thousands of pounds from her mother. Journalist Hayley Matthews found herself caught up in the middle of a shocked scandal after admitting to stealing £120,000 from her mother’s bank accounts. The broadcaster led a lavish lifestyle which was funded by the stolen cash between September 2019 and November 2022.
It wasn’t until her family members shared their concerns about the size of the late Ms Matthew’s estate following her death at an Edinburgh care facility in 2021. It was at this point that the truth finally came to light. The 44-year-old newsreader from Edinburgh pleaded guilty on June 27 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to one charge of embezzlement.
On Thursday (July 25), she was sentenced to two years and three months behind bars. Lynne Barrie, procurator fiscal for Lothian and Borders, shared the family’s heartache after she was sentenced. She said: “Heyley Matthews was placed in a position of family trust to oversee her mother’s financial affairs.
“But she abused that responsibility by stealing thousands of pounds and used that money to brazenly fund an extravagant lifestyle.” Lynne also made it clear that the exploitation of vulnerable individuals would not go unpunished. She went on: “This case demonstrates that those who seek to exploit vulnerable victims for their own personal gain will be held to account for their crimes.
” The trial revealed that Matthews, who had the power of attorney over .