Woman who faked own death to avoid court caught on CCTV attending wedding

Amy McAuley thought she had got away with it. The 35 year old faked her own death to avoid criminal charges but has now been sentenced to three years in prison.

McAuley was due to stand trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in January 2023 on charges of theft and attempted deception, after using altered documents to secure a €10,000 (£8,800) loan from KBC Bank in 2018 and later attempting, unsuccessfully, to obtain a second €5,000 (£4,402) loan. The fake death notice appeared on RIP.ie on Wednesday, January 4 - almost a week after her supposed funeral date.

“26th December 2022. Peacefully; sadly missed by her loving parents, sister, brothers, son, nieces, nephews, extended family, neighbours and friends. Gone but never forgotten,” the notice read.

It stated that McAuley would repose at a funeral home in Shankill between 2pm and 4pm, though it did not specify the day. It also said her funeral would take place on December 29 at St. Mary’s Church in Lucan, followed by cremation at Mount Jerome Crematorium. "Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to St. Vincent de Paul," the notice concluded.

McAuley’s trial was postponed after she contacted gardaí pretending to be her sister and claimed she had died, the Sunday World reported. She then submitted false death notification forms to Wexford County Council, leading to the issuance of two death certificates under both the English and Irish spellings of her name.

An investigation was launched in mid-2023 when gardaí discovered she was still alive. The court heard that gardai became aware that McAuley was due to attend a wedding in Enniscorthy in June 2023, and identified her from CCTV footage at the venue.

They found three separate death notices for her on RIP.ie, one claiming she had died in France and another posted by McAuley herself using a fake undertaker’s identity. During questioning, McAuley told investigators she could not face going to court and did not want to leave her young child.

It later emerged that she had also told her employer she had died, prompting a pending claim for the company’s death-in-service benefit. Again, posing as her sister, McAuley contacted the company and claimed the funds were needed to pay for surgery for her child. The company subsequently made a goodwill payment of €9,000 (£7,924). Last week, the mother-of-one was sentenced to three years in prison.

McAuley pleaded guilty to one count of using a false instrument by submitting a false death notification form to Wexford County Council on January 19th, 2023. She also admitted to attempting to pervert the course of justice on January 23, 2023, and to forging a medical report on November 23, 2022, all at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

She further pleaded guilty to a second count of using a false instrument (a medical certificate) at Pearse Street Garda Station on May 28, 2021, and to attempted deception in 2018. Additional guilty pleas were entered for five counts of theft and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime between November 2015 and May 2023.

McAuley has four prior convictions for theft and deception. In November 2015, she received a two-year sentence, suspended for ten years, for stealing just under €111,000 (£98,871)from a former employer. She repaid €30,000 on the day of sentencing, but the remainder remains outstanding. She also stole more than €55,000 from another employer in 2015 - €6,500 of which was repaid - and over €3,000 worth of mobile phones from Three Ireland in 2021.

In imposing sentence, Judge Orla Crowe said the offending was “not opportunistic or spontaneous” but rather “a deliberately planned deception” involving serious breaches of trust. The judge described McAuley’s behaviour as being at “the boundaries of what could almost be deemed acceptable behaviour” and said faking her death to avoid trial was “a deliberate scheme to pervert the course of justice.”

Judge Crowe noted that the offences occurred over a “protracted period of time,” were intentional, and required “substantial planning.” The sums of money involved and McAuley’s prior convictions were considered aggravating factors. The court heard that most of the stolen funds have not been repaid. Mitigating factors included McAuley’s guilty pleas, expressions of remorse, family support, and medical and mental health difficulties.

Judge Crowe imposed a total sentence of four years, suspending the final 12 months on strict conditions for four years. McAuley was ordered to remain under Probation Service supervision for 12 months following her release. The judge also directed that all of McAuley’s medical reports be made available to the prison governor.

McAuley has a young child with health issues and suffers from schizo-affective disorder. She is also pregnant with her second child. Rebecca Smith BL, defending, told the court earlier this month that the probation report was positive and submitted additional medical reports, as well as letters from McAuley, her husband, and family members.

Ms Smith previously described the case as an “extraordinarily complex” one involving a “significant period of offending.” She said her client had been living a “crazy, chaotic existence” that has since stabilised.

Counsel said McAuley is remorseful, accepts responsibility, and understands that “her past is catching up to her.” Ms Smith added that her client faces “no real prospect” of future employment and suggested that repayments could be deducted from social welfare payments.