The woman is alleged to have stolen more than €95,000 from her victim between June and September 2013. In the first trial, the court ruled that the defendant must pay back the man's daughter and guardian. The woman claimed to have needed the money to pay debts and fix her car.
The case has come to the appeals court and the woman could be given a harsher sentence. The prosecutor has requested that the sentence be revised to a suspended sentence of 20 months in prison, but the amount of damages to be paid should remain.
The justification for the higher sentence is the defendant's lack of understanding in her behaviour. The victim was easily influenced in his condition and the young woman used crocodile tears to manipulate him out of nearly €100,000. Both in the initial trial and the appeal trial, the possibility that the woman may have been unaware of the man's vulnerability was excluded.
The defendant's lawyer claimed that his client had told the victim of her financial issues and he had willingly given her money. He also contested the psychological evaluation of the victim, claiming there was no proof that he had dementia at the time of the events. The lawyer called for the appeal, citing his client's lack of knowledge of her victim's situation.
The lawyer of the man's guardian reiterated the request to pay the amount stolen back in damages, citing the client's surprise at the defendant's appeal request. The lawyer thought it was already advantageous enough that the defendant had received a suspended sentence. The lawyer also told the judge that the defendant had yet to pay any amount back to his client and requested that there be legal consequences for this.
The ruling will take place on 12 February.
