A cleaner admitted stealing thousands of pounds of jewellery from a house where she was working – and then said she “forgot” to give it back.
Sandra Aimes or Angus, 68, took diamond rings and a bracelet worth up to £6,700 and kept them at her home for around a year before the alarm was raised and the police came calling.
She had been working at an address in the city when the offence took place between October 1 2017 and January 19 2018.
And Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard she pocketed the items when she came across them in an unusual place and had meant to give them to the owner before leaving.
Angus, of Derbeth Crescent, Aberdeen, pled guilty to theft.
Depute fiscal Callum Thomson said: “At the time of the offence the complainer had employed the accused to clean her father’s house which is the locus.
“The complainer had taken various items of personal jewellery from her own home address and left them at her father’s address kept in a plastic carrier bag in an upper kitchen cupboard.
“The accused at the time had not been made aware of the presence of the jewellery.”
The court heard that at a later date the woman realised the items were missing and contacted police, believing Angus may have been responsible.
Mr Thomson said: “The police attended at the accused’s address to trace her and were afforded entry and explained why they were there and noticed a ring matching the description of the engagement ring alleged to have been stolen from the locus sitting on open display on the shelf of the living room unit.
“The accused was then cautioned and arrested on suspicion of theft.”
During a search officers found a diamond and emerald gold ring worth between £4,000 and £5,000.
They also discovered a silver bracelet with charms valued at £200 and another diamond ring worth around £1,500.
Mr Thomson said the property was shown to the complainer who identified it as the items belonging to her.
Defence agent Michael Burnett said: “Her position is she found these items when she was cleaning in a place they possibly ought not to have been.
“She put them in her pocket with the intention of giving them back to the owners on leaving.”
However, he added she “forgot” about them and didn’t realise she still had them until she was home, but accepted she then “did nothing about it”.
He said: “They were within her own property for around a year before they were found by the police.
“There was no attempt to sell these items or get any financial gain from them.”
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Mr Burnett added she was “under a great deal of distress” due to undergoing an operation on her hip and her husband also needing heart surgery.
Sheriff David Hall said: “I think the court should find out more about you.”
He deferred sentence until next month for a social work report to be prepared.
Outside court the Evening Express asked Angus why she did not give the jewellery back. She replied: “I should have and I never. I forgot.
“I had issues with health going on. I had a new hip, my husband was getting heart surgery and I was just in a bad place which I still am. There’s nothing else I can say.”
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