U2 star Adam Clayton's personal assistant who stole £2.2m and spent it on cars and racehorses

dailymail. ^ | JUNE 2012

[dennisw]

Most of us would soon notice if a few pounds disappeared from our bank account.

However U2’s Adam Clayton was rather less observant and as a result his trusted personal assistant helped herself to £2.2million.

Carole Hawkins spent four years tapping into the bass guitarist’s £100million fortune and splashing out on 22 horses, a luxury New York apartment, a string of exotic holidays and a wardrobe full of designer clothing.

The 48-year-old mother-of-two – who worked as Mr Clayton’s personal assistant for 17 years – was jailed for seven years yesterday after being convicted of 181 counts of theft.

She was driven away in a prison van appropriately marked U2. Hawkins’ scam only unravelled in 2008 when she admitted using Mr Clayton’s account to book flights worth £12,100 to visit her children in the US and London.

Sentencing her at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Patrick McCartan described her as ‘greedy’ and ‘frankly deluded’.

[dennisw]

MORE HERE>>>>

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2166677/U2-bassist-Adam-Clayton-saw-2-2million-money-spent-PA.html

[dennisw]

Relieved: U2 bass guitarist Adam Clayton talks to the media after his former personal assistant was found guilty of embezzling £2.2 million from him

Swindle: Adam Clayton, right, saw his money spent on 22 horses for his former PA

 

 

Found out: Carol Hawkins was found guilty on 181 counts of theft

 

 

Her deception emerged in 2008 when she confessed to booking herself between £10,500 and £12,100 worth of flights on his account to visit her children in the US and London.

Investigations later revealed that thousands of pounds had been spent on exotic holidays and in designer boutiques in New York, such as Roberto Cavalli.

Hawkins also bought 22 horses, with more than £320,400 of Clayton’s cash listed as horse and horse expenditure.

Elsewhere, a Volkswagen Golf was purchased for her son Joe, while the rock star’s money paid for fashion and film courses for her children.

Clayton originally employed Hawkins, of Lower Rathmines Road in Dublin, as a housekeeper in 1992 and her then husband as a driver and occasional chef.

But her duties evolved from looking after the house and preparing meals, to eventually looking after Clayton’s books.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2166677/U2-bassist-Adam-Clayton-saw-2-2million-money-spent-PA.html#ixzz201XbB2Co

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Artie]

I call my teenage daughter a thief when she liberates a 20 off the kitchen counter.

[Walkingfeather]

Do you want to install that identity in your daughter? Or would you rather say... Theft if not part of your identity...describe the behavior, but do not assign it to who she is... Re enforce the purity in her and that behavior is not part of her... As a father you can declare good things or prophesy bad things into our children.

[crusty old prospector]

Just spreading the wealth around, kind of like how Obamao plans to do it.

[1010RD]

I blame Clayton himself. He shouldn’t have hired somebody from the Lower Ratmines. Even the upper ones can’t be trusted.