Presumably, the trust she had built up with Clayton over those two decades is precisely why Hawkins had access to that kind of cash in the first place.

RS reports that Hawkins was a signatory on two of the bassist's bank accounts and wrote cheques to her own account to fund exotic holidays, designer goods, 22 horses and a Volkswagen Golf.

                               U2 guitarist mourns death of mother

She was exposed in 2008 after admitting she spent between $16,300 to $18,000 from Clayton's accounts to visit her children in the U.S. and London. Hawkins, released on bail, awaits sentencing on July 6.

And you just know that whatever sentence is handed down won’t begin to heal the pain of this. Hawkins probably feels horrendous about the theft – you don’t work closely with someone for 17 years without developing real ties – and almost certainly is regretting the theft that cost her a plum job while gaining her a nasty criminal record.

As for Clayton – the betrayal must be stomach-churning. Not a happy story. 

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