Mother who stole £18,000 by impersonating her daughter avoids jail

A woman who impersonated her daughter to spend £18,000 of her money has avoided prison.

Karen Leahy opened multiple bank accounts in her daughter’s name without her knowledge, leading to the young woman being pursued by courts for debt she hadn’t run up.

Chester Crown Court heard Leahy, 57, had engaged in fraudulent activity for a period of nine years, between 2015 and 2024, setting up fake email addresses to carry out the transactions.

Her daughter only became aware of the scam when she accessed her finances to find £18,000 in debt tied to her name, the court was told.

As well as preventing the daughter from taking out loans for her family, the huge arrears had led to two county court judgements taken against her, despite her having never spent the money concerned.

Leahy, from Marton, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of fraud by false representation.

The mother was sentenced on Friday to 15 months in prison, suspended for 24 months.

DC Vickie Wallace said: ‘Leahy went to great lengths in order to carry out her crimes, creating multiple face accounts and fake email addresses in order to take out thousands of pounds worth of cash in her daughter’s name.

‘This case has had a lasting impact on the victim, not only has she been betrayed by her own mother, but she has also been unable to get any loans or other personal finances, in order to purchase items for her and her family.

‘I hope that the conclusion of this case, and the sentence handed to her mother will provide her with some closure and allow her to move forward with her life.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.