Khaberni - Irish police arrested a woman who faked her own death after she was seen attending a wedding in Enniscorthy, in a case that garnered public interest due to her attempt to avoid trial on charges of theft and fraud.
Amy McCauley, 35 years old, was scheduled to appear before the Dublin Criminal Court in January 2023 on charges of using forged documents to obtain a loan of 10,000 euros from KBC Bank in 2018, and attempting to secure another loan of 5,000 euros unsuccessfully.
To avoid this trial, she faked her own death and posted a fake notice on the RIP.ie website on January 4, 2023, claiming she died on December 26, 2022, and submitted forged death certificates to the Wexford County Council to obtain two death certificates in her name in both English and Irish.
The police later revealed that she was still alive after appearing at a wedding in June 2023, leading to an investigation that uncovered three different death notices for her on the internet, one claiming her death in France, and another posted by McCauley herself using a fake identity at a funeral home.
It also turned out that she informed her employer of her death, leading the company to claim death insurance benefits, and an amount of 9,000 euros was paid as a goodwill donation.
McCauley admitted in court to several charges, including using a forged document, attempting to obstruct justice, forging a medical report, and five theft charges, and possession of crime proceeds, in addition to her previous confessions of fraud and theft since 2015.
Judge Orla Crow affirmed that McCauley's crimes were carefully planned and constituted a betrayal of trust, and considered the faking of her death a deliberate plan to obstruct the course of justice.
The court sentenced Amy McCauley to four years in prison, with the last year suspended, and stipulated supervision by the probation service after her release, and provision of all her medical reports to the prison administration.
Reports indicate that McCauley is a mother of a child with health issues and suffers from an emotional psychotic disorder, and she is pregnant with her second child, while her defense pointed out her remorse, acceptance of responsibility, and attempts to stabilize her life after a period of chaos and crime.
