Man jailed for stealing sick wife’s cash

Bernard Houston married his victim in 2010 and, after she fell ill and was forced to give up work, he was paid £60 per week benefits as her carer.

Houston also had access to her monthly pension and a lump sum of cash she received as a result of leaving her employment.

Her own family made repeated requests to view her bank statements but were rebuffed by Houston.

It was only when in 2015 when Houston himself was admitted to hospital that the family were able to help his wife check her bank statements they discovered that almost all of her funds were gone.

As well as stealing £150,000, Houston also made fraudulent applications for credit cards and loans in her name, all without her consent or knowledge.

At an earlier hearing he admitted committing the offences between 2010 and 2014 and was today jailed for two years and three months.

Speaking after sentencing Angela Farrell, assistant procurator Fiscal for Glasgow, said: “Bernard Houston betrayed the trust of his vulnerable sick wife.

“She had no reason to believe her husband would carry out this kind of deception and that while being paid to look after her he was emptying her bank account to fund his gambling habit.

“We would urge all victims of fraud to report them so those responsible are prosecuted and pay for the consequences of their actions.”