A WIDOW has admitted defrauding her partner’s pensioner mum out of more than £16,000 in benefits to help repay significant debts racked up during her marriage.

Lynne Davis made more than 40 cash withdrawals, of between £200 and £500 at a time, using the elderly Ardrossan woman’s bank card over the 12-month period from January until December 2020.

The regular transactions from the account included seven withdrawals, including some in Ardrossan and Saltcoats, amounting to £3,000 in total, in just 12 days in March of that year.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard last week that Davis, 44, had been left in “dire financial straits” following the death of her husband in 2016.

She had been asked to perform duties for the mother of her partner, aged 66, which involved having access to her bank account.

However, the charge against her, to which she pleaded guilty, said: “[Davis] falsely pretended that she was using her bank card and pin solely to help her by purchasing shopping and withdrawing cash for her.

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“The truth being that she [Davis] was in significant debt and withdrew the money for her own purposes, obtaining £16,470 by fraud.”

The procurator fiscal depute told Thursday’s hearing: “The complainer had asked the accused to withdraw cash for her but she never asked for more than £100 at a time.

“She admitted being responsible for the cash withdrawals in February 2021.

“When asked what the money was used for she stated it was to pay off debt.

“She told police she would like to repay the money and was going to no matter what happens.

“Nothing has been paid back yet.”

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Davis, of West King Street in Helensburgh, withdrew he money on numerous occasions from ATMs in Ardrossan, Saltcoats, Irvine, Helensburgh, Dumbarton, Paisley and elsewhere.

Defence solicitor Graeme Cunningham said: “Debts accumulated during the course of their marriage, she was left with them and was trying her best to service them but was making no inroads whatsoever.

“She had been burying her head in the sand in the hope that it would all go away but then this opportunity came around - of course, it was someone else’s money.

“She seems to have thought that if she ignores the debt letters it will just go away but your lordship and I both know that that does not happen.”

Davis wept during the July 7 hearing, as Sheriff Murdoch MacTaggart deferred sentence until August 1.