Pokies-addicted elderly woman defrauds stroke victim
Laine Clark |
Each day Shirley Ann Eiby would visit her ailing friend at a nursing home.
And each day Eiby would gamble away the unsuspecting stroke victim’s money, blowing almost $300,000 overall.
Eiby, 80, faced Brisbane District Court on Thursday for what Judge Vicki Loury described as elder abuse.
“That it was committed by an elderly woman is frankly breathtaking,” Judge Loury said.
The friend had granted Eiby power of attorney for financial matters before she suffered a stroke in July 2018, the court heard.
She was non-verbal and severely cognitively impaired after the stroke, no longer able to make financial decisions.
Eiby held her friend’s hand and played classical music when she visited her aged care facility daily.
She also began to gamble away her friend’s money daily.
From September 2018 to January 2019 Eiby dishonestly withdrew $289,604 from her friend’s accounts in almost 150 transactions.
She blew it all on poker machines.
Eiby was anxious about the ailing health of not only her friend but also her husband of 56 years.
He is in palliative care, and may only have weeks to live.
Gambling provided Eiby relief from her stress, the court heard.
She lost more than $240,000 at Brisbane’s Treasury Casino and another $4500 in just two visits at The Star Gold Coast.
Eiby – who had never previously had a gambling problem – also sustained losses at Brisbane’s Easts League Club.
In January 2019 Eiby was investigated after a complaint from staff at her friend’s nursing home.
By October 2019 she had been charged.
Her bail conditions ensured she could no longer visit her friend.
“Your defrauding her meant that she was left without the comfort and support that you provided to her in her dying days,” Judge Loury said.
Her friend died “completely alone” in June 2020.
“That .. .is something that weighs very heavily on my client”, defence barrister Ben Power said.
Eiby later received $1.19 million from her friend’s estate.
Eiby – who has no criminal history – has since expressed shame and embarrassment, the court heard.
“What you did amounts to elder abuse,” Judge Loury said.
“You had a significant responsibility placed on you to act honestly … the only thing you were thinking about every time you took money from her account was yourself.”
Eiby pleaded guilty to one count of fraud to the value of $100,000 or more.
She was sentenced to five years in jail.
The sentence was wholly suspended for five years and Eiby left the court, using a walking frame.
AAP
