U2`s Adam Clayton`s ex-secretary gets 7yrs jail for embezzlement

London: The former personal assistant of U2 bassist Adam Clayton has been jailed for seven years for embezzling 2.8 million euros of the musician`s money, to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Carol Hawkins, 48, was last week convicted on 181 counts of theft from the U2 member`s bank accounts over a four-year period. Clayton was not in court for the sentencing, the BBC reported. The judge said Hawkins` crimes were "rooted in greed and nothing else." "Nothing, frankly, could explain away the scale of this dishonesty other than the greed in pursuit of a lavish lifestyle that was no responsibility of Mr Clayton`s," Judge Patrick McCartan said. He said that the fact Hawkins had maintained her innocence throughout the trial was a factor in his sentencing and suggested if given an opportunity to commit a similar crime in the future, he was not entirely confident she would resist. "Whether she was a fool or clever person really matters very little," he said. The jury at the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin returned an unanimous verdict on each individual count after deliberating for more than five hours last week. Hawkins, who has always protested her innocence, had been freed on bail until sentencing. Speaking after the verdict was delivered, Clayton said he was pleased with the ruling and thanked his legal team.