Adam Clayton’s PA convicted of stealing £2.2m from his account

London -  A former personal assistant to U2 bassist Adam Clayton has been found guilty of stealing 2.8 million euro (2.2m pounds) from him to fund a lavish lifestyle. Carol Hawkins was convicted in Dublin on 181 counts of theft from the bassist’s bank accounts over a four-year period.

Though Hawkins claimed that Clayton authorised her spending – including several foreign trips, 22 thoroughbred horses, a new car and university courses for her children – Clayton said he  had known nothing about it.

He claimed he gave Hawkins access to his bank accounts solely to pay bills related to his Dublin mansion, the Sky News reported.

Hawkins worked for Clayton for 17 years until he found out what she had been doing in 2008.

The bassist was in Dublin’s Circuit Criminal Court to hear the jury return unanimous verdicts on each individual count after deliberating for more than five hours.

Judge Partick McCartan released 48-year-old Hawkins on bail until she is sentenced on July 6.

Hawkins had denied the charges but no defence was presented during the trial.

The court heard that Hawkins had gained the musician’s “absolute trust” for the 17 years she worked for him.

She was signatory on two of his bank accounts from which she wrote 181 cheques to deposit cash into her own account, a joint one with her then husband John Hawkins, and a credit card

account.

Her deception emerged in 2008 when she confessed to booking herself between 13,000 euros and 15,000 euros worth of flights on Clayton’s account to visit her children in the US and

London.

Investigations later revealed that thousands of euros had been spent on exotic holidays and in designer boutiques in New York.

Hawkins also bought 22 horses, with more than 400,000 euro of Clayton’s cash listed as horse expenditure.

She also purchased a Volkswagen Golf for her son Joe.

The rock star’s money was used to pay for fashion and film courses for her children.