Shirley Williams, 55, has been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court for fraud by abuse of position, after spending years helping herself to her elderly mother's money in what the court heard was "cynical" offending.
Williams had been entrusted to look after her mother's finances but made unauthorised purchases, including paying for Netflix subscriptions and shopping online with Ocado, and transferred money from her mother's accounts into her own. She denied any wrongdoing, saying she only ever acted in her mother's best interests, but was convicted at trial last month and returned to the dock on Thursday to be sentenced.
Abuse of Trust and Power of Attorney
The trial heard that the defendant's father had handled all financial matters in the marriage until his death, at which point Williams took over responsibility. She was later given power of attorney in regard to her mother. The prosecution case was that there was a "blurring of the lines" between what was the defendant's money and what was her mother's money, and that Williams treated her mother's bank accounts and money "as if it were her own".
The court heard that concerns were raised in 2017 when the victim, then in her 70s, moved from Kent to live in West Wales. When the defendant's sister, Wendy, took her mum clothes shopping, her card was declined due to insufficient funds. Paper statements were subsequently requested from the bank, and the pair went through them with highlighter pens marking what appeared to be suspicious activity on the accounts.
Defendant's Evidence and Sentencing
In her evidence to the jury, Williams denied any wrongdoing, saying she had only ever acted in her mother's best interests. She told the court that the Ocado purchases were her ordering groceries for her mother, the PayPal transactions were for things her mother had asked her to buy online, and that her mother had been watching Netflix via a Fire TV Stick. She also insisted that transferring money between multiple bank accounts was her moving her mother's money around to seek the best rates of return.
Prosecution barrister Harry Dickens said "at its highest" the total loss to the victim was some £11,451, and described the offending as prolonged, lasting some five years, and "cynical" in nature. In a statement read to the court, the victim said the bond of trust between her and the defendant had been "completely broken".
Sentence and Restraining Order
Williams, of Trevaughan, Whitland, Carmarthen, was convicted of three counts of fraud by abuse of position and found not guilty of two other counts concerning allegations she had taken £70,000 via various bank transfers. The court heard she has no previous convictions.
Judge Christopher Vosper KC said he was satisfied that the figure for the loss for sentencing was some £7,000. He said the offending clearly crossed the custody threshold, balancing seriousness against mitigation and rehabilitation prospects. Williams was sentenced to 21 months in prison suspended for two years, with a rehabilitation requirement and 150 hours of unpaid work. She was also made subject to a three-year restraining order banning her from contacting her mother.
