‘Murder accused’ mum conned men into handing over cash for fake baby​

A mother cleared of a gruesome unsolved murder is behind bars after targeting vulnerable and elderly men during a lengthy campaign of theft and fraud.

Angela Newlands, 34, conned numerous victims into giving her cash for a nonexistent baby and used stolen bank cards to steal hundreds of pounds.

Newlands – who also stole eight cockapoo puppies – targeted victims as old as 85 as well as volunteers helping out at a Royal British Legion food bank.

She also faked injury to persuade people to drive her round after clambering uninvited into their cars – before robbing them and using their bank cards.

Newlands has been remanded in custody after admitting 17 separate offences around Forfar and Kirriemuir between August 29 2022 and May 11, 2024.

She has been warned she faces a significant prison sentence for the crime spree – five years after being cleared of the murder of 22-year-old Annalise Johnstone.

Johnstone’s brother – who admitted dumping the body at a witch’s monument – and his then girlfriend Newlands were cleared of the killing at the High Court. The murder remains unsolved.

Newlands appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court via video link from Grampian Prison to admit a long series of crimes of dishonesty and admitted she expected to be jailed.

Solicitor John McLaughlin, defending, said: “She has had a period of imprisonment before and is over 25, so realistically she doesn’t expect anything but a significant custodial sentence.”

No motion for bail was made and she was remanded in custody pending social work reports and a detailed proposal for post-custody supervision.

Full details of her crimes will be narrated at her next appearance, but it is understood that she approached a number of men and gave them false names to hide her criminal past.

She convinced one man to initially give her £10 by claiming she needed it for milk and nappies for her newborn baby. No such baby existed.

She targeted the man for money every time she met him and he had given her around £400 by the time he discovered her real identity.

An 85-year-old man and an 80-year-old retired police officer were among her other victims, while she duped a 74-year-old man into driving her round to use the bank card he was unaware she had stolen from him a short time beforehand.

The spree started in August 2022 when Newlands broke into a caravan and stole £100 cash and a purse, bank cards and a drivers licence. She stole eight young dogs from a kennel attached to the caravan.

In total, she acquired more than £1,200 in cash and goods, along with a cushion contained in a parcel she stole from the back of a parked Yodel delivery van.

Annalise Johnstone’s body was found dumped at the Maggie Wall’s Witch Monument in Dunning, Perthshire, in May 2018. Her throat had been cut and she sustained non-survivable injuries.

No murder weapon has been found and the police investigation remains open.