A former STV presenter who stole £120,000 from her own mother, who was suffering from dementia, has been jailed.

Hayley Matthews, 44, of Edinburgh was handed power of attorney over her the financial affairs of her mother, Janice, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard.

Janice Matthews had been diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2019 and suffered from an alcohol addiction, leading to her admission to hospital on a compulsion order.

Between September 2019 and November 2022 Hayley Matthews withdrew £120,000 from her mother's accounts, including 371 PayPal transactions totalling £46,763, ATM withdrawals amounting to £38,000, Amazon purchases worth £13,649.97, a Mulberry handbag costing £1,371 and items bought from the White Company to the value of £5,544.82. 

Bank statements also disclosed further spending at Harvey Nichols, Kurt Geiger, Molton Brown and Marks & Spencer. Money had also been spent at fast food chains Greggs, Deliveroo and Five Guys and the Hotel Chocolat chocolatier.

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When Janice Matthews died in September 2021, family members questioned the size of her estate which stood at £36,000. The sum was queried by her sister who applied to the bank for copies of her mother’s financial statements after her queries to Matthews had been dismissed.

Prosecutor Nadia Stewart told the court that in June 2019 her parents divorced and her mother received £133,100.36 from the sale of the house as well as half of Matthews father’s Fire Brigade pension.

Bank statements showed a "substantial increase" in cash withdrawals during a time when Janice Matthews was in hospital.

When Matthews’ father, Alistair Matthews, contacted his daughter for an explanation in January 2022, she admitted spending large sums for her own financial gain.  

During several text exchanges with her father, the accused wrote: “You’re right, I’ve been shocking at 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.” 

When Matthews was arrested in January 2023 she told police the money had been spent on hampers at Harvey Nichols for hospital staff who had treated her mother and also clothes for her partner.

Matthews plead guilty to embezzlement while acting as power of attorney for her mother between 2019 and 2022 in an appearance in court in Edinburgh last month.

Returning to court today Sheriff Alison Stirling spoke of the “serious impact” her behaviour had on her family.

Matthews was sentenced to two years and three months in prison after admitting to a charge of embezzlement in June.

Lynne Barrie, Procurator Fiscal for Lothian and Borders, said: “Hayley 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.  

“This case demonstrates that those who seek to exploit vulnerable victims for their own personal gain will be held to account for their crimes.”

Starting her media career in radio, Matthews worked with a number of Scottish stations and also wrote a regular column for a local newspaper in Edinburgh.

At she presented the STV2 magazine and chat show Live at Five and hosted the STV Children's Appeal alongside Lorraine Kelly.