Woman who impersonated husband’s voice in near £100,000 fraud scheme sentenced

A woman who impersonated her husband’s voice to embezzle almost £100,000 in a mortgage and pension fraud scheme has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.

Karen Lawrence, 66, previously pleaded guilty to forming a fraudulent scheme to swindle her husband John out of the money, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said.

Prosecutors said that Lawrence, of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, called a mortgage firm and a pension company to illegally obtain a total of £99,659.12.

Evidence showed she adopted a male voice during those calls to fool staff into believing she was her husband, the prosecution service said.

Lawrence was given a community payback order as a direct alternative to custody and ordered to perform 300 hours of unpaid work within 12 months when she was sentenced at Ayr Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

She was also placed under supervision for two years and was handed a six-month restriction of liberty order which will be in place from 8pm to 6am, the Crown Office said.

Anne Marie Hicks, procurator fiscal for North Strathclyde, said: “Karen Lawrence committed a serious betrayal of trust in deceiving her husband.

“She went to extreme and elaborate lengths to fraudulently obtain significant amounts of money which did not belong to her.

“As prosecutors, we understand the impact on victims of this type of offending and are fully committed to tackling financial crime of this kind.”

Lawrence was also handed a 10-year non-harassment order, banning her from contacting or attempting to contact the victim.

Prosecutors said Lawrence made three calls to the mortgage firm in July 2019 during which she adopted a male voice and pretended to be her husband to fraudulently withdraw money out of the house’s value in his name.

A payment of £54,557.47 was then paid into the couple’s joint account before £54,000 was transferred out of that account between August 13 and 16 2019 into various other accounts.

She used the same tactics to take £45,101.68 from her husband’s pension, making six calls to the pension company during which she purported to be her husband.

The Crown Office said that, in her defence, Lawrence claimed she stole the money because she was the victim of a fake online romance fraudster to whom she sent the money.