Woman, 76, stole almost £150,000 from vulnerable cousin
A seventy-six-year-old woman has been found guilty of stealing almost £150,000 from her cousin who has cerebral palsy and is unable to manage his financial affairs.
Wendy Davies, from Knighton, was accused of theft and dishonestly abusing a position of trust in relation to John William Pugh between February 2006 and December 2009.
The court was told she spent some of the money on clothes, along with a trip to Paris, claiming it was respite for her from being a carer.
His interests were overseen by the Court of Protection, which appointed Davies a receiver to look after Mr Pugh’s financial affairs. Davies abused her position of trust by taking £5,000 each month by standing order, along with bank card purchases.
The court was told Davies’s total spend at Harry Tuffins Supermarket in Knighton during the five years she was caring for her cousin was over £56,000.
Fashion shops
The court was given a list of her spending from her cousin’s bank account between 2006 and 2010, which amounted to £149,192.
Davies said she did not know about bank transactions at fashion shops and she said the money was spent caring for her cousin including his three times a week visits to her home for meals and petrol for the journey between Knighton and Llandrindod Wells.
Davies, of Cwmjenkin Wood, Heyope, had denied both charges but a jury at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court found her guilty of both offences.
She will be sentenced at the crown court on September 20.
Report by Karen Compton
