Unusual reason woman faked her own death before she was spotted on wedding CCTV

Daily Mirror

08-05-2025

Mum Amy McAuley pleaded guilty to one count of the use of a false instrument after attempting to fake her death to avoid going to court for stealing mobile phones
A mum who faked her own death to try and avoid going to court for stealing phones was caught out by being spotted on CCTV at a wedding, a court heard.
Amy McAuley, 35, submitted fake documents to try to and get a death certificate in January 2023. After she was found to have lied, she said she could not face coming to court to answer charges and did not want to leave her young child. McAuley admitted to using a false instrument by submitting a bogus death notification form.
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She also pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice on January 23, 2023 and to a count of forgery of a medical report on November 23, 2022, both at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court at the Criminal Courts of Justice.
McAuley, from Fethard-on-Sea in County Wexford, also pleaded to a second count of using a false instrument, a medical certificate, at Pearse Street Garda Station on May 28, 2021 and attempted deception in 2018.
She further entered guilty pleas to five counts of theft and one of possession of the proceeds of crime on separate dates between November 2015 and May 2023.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard evidence on Wednesday that McAuley secured a €10,000 (£8,400) personal loan from KBC Bank in 2018 using falsified documents from her employer, reports the Irish Mirror.
That same year, she applied for a €5,000 (£4,200) loan under a piano student's name, which was declined. She was arrested in 2019, and admitted the fraud and failing to repay the loan.
Garda Sergeant Eoghan Kirwan previously gave evidence that gardai separately contacted McAuley in May 2021, looking to interview her about the theft of nine mobile phones from Three Ireland in July 2020. McAuley told the Irish police, the Garda, in late May 2021 that she was unwell and provided a medical report, which was later found to be forged.
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In December 2021, gardai were contacted by a woman claiming to be McAuley's sister who said she was in treatment and would contact them afterwards. The following May, 'Winnie', who also claimed to be a sister of McAuley's, told gardai that the defendant had passed away. McAuley made both of these calls.
McAuley went on to submit a false death notification form to Wexford County Council on January 19, 2023. The court heard that McAuley had been due to stand trial in January 2023 on the theft and fraud offences relating to the 2018 incidents, but this did not go ahead as it was believed she was dead.
A medical report from the Rotunda Hospital had previously been provided to the court in November 2022, which was proven to be a forgery. McAuley, pretending to be 'Winnie', rang gardai again in May 2023 to obtain an email address to send a death certificate to and gave her telephone number.
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Later, a solicitor contacted gardai and provided the same number. Both calls were made by McAuley, the court heard. A death certificate was later emailed to gardai by a firm of solicitors, who were unaware of McAuley's deception. During their investigation, gardai discovered three death notices for McAuley on RIP.ie.
The first stated that McAuley had died in France, and was removed after her mother told the site the defendant was not dead. A second notice was uploaded to the site on January 4, 2023 by a fictional undertaker, which McAuley had created, though gardai later found no records of a funeral ever having taken place. A third death notice appeared in McAuley's Irish name, saying she had died in Belfast.
Gardai contacted the general registry in June 2023 and obtained two death certificates for McAuley, one of which used her Irish name. Doctors confirmed they had not signed the death notification forms, which had been used to obtain these death certificates.
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When interviewed by gardai on separate occasions, McAuley admitted wrongdoing. She told gardai she knew she was in trouble again, and believed everything would be okay if she said was deceased because she could be with her young child. She also said she could not face going to court.
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.
Gardai carried out a search of McAuley's home in June 2023. She was living there with her husband, who was unaware of her activities, and her young child. A booklet of death notification forms were found during the search along with banking information and identification for 'Winnie'.
McAuley admitted ordering the nine phones from Three Ireland in 2020 and sending a false medical certificate to gardai in 2021. She also confirmed a mobile phone number used during these incidents was hers. A payment of €9,000 to an AIB bank account in McAuley's name was also identified during the garda investigation.
In January 2023, a Northern Irish company that McAuley had been working for was told she had died the previous month. The company contacted 'Charles' by email, who was listed on McAuley's employee records as her father, and he confirmed McAuley's death.
While a claim for the company's death-in-service benefit of €96,000 was pending, 'Winnie' contacted them in May 2023, and said she was minding McAuley's infant child and needed money upfront to cover surgery costs. The company made a goodwill payment of €9,000 on May 15, 2023 into McAuley's AIB account. This has not been repaid, the court was told.
The court heard McAuley - who four previous convictions for theft and deception offences - married in 2022 and has a young child, who has health issues. McAuley herself also has medical and mental health difficulties. Rebecca Smith BL, defending, submitted to the court her client will have "no real prospect" of future employment, suggesting that money could be deducted from social welfare payments to repay money owed.
The case has been adjourned for finalisation next week.