A carer who deliberately starved her live-in landlord to death in a bid to inherit a slice of his £1.5 million estate has been convicted of murder. Lynda Rickard, 62, and her husband Wayne Rickard, 66, were found guilty at Reading Crown Court following the death of James 'Anthony' Sootheran, 59, at his Oxfordshire farmhouse.
The court heard how the Rickards moved into High Havens Farm in 2006, where Lynda cared for Mr Sootheran's elderly mother, Joy Sootheran. Despite receiving £47,000 a year for her role, she began using the woman's money as her own and forged wills to gain control of the estate. Mr Sootheran, a reclusive retired auctioneer clerk, was isolated from family and friends and deliberately deprived of food, drink, and medical care.
When his skeletal body was discovered, it weighed just nine stone, down from 17 stone in his younger years. A plate of chocolate bars, a donut, and a bag of McDonald's was found nearby, described as looking 'fresher than him.' Lynda Rickard claimed Mr Sootheran's death was due to self-neglect, but the jury convicted her of murder and fraud. Wayne Rickard was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult, fraud, and perverting the course of justice.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Robbie Weber stated: 'Lynda Rickard helped herself to tens of thousands of pounds of the Sootherans' money. But that wasn't enough. She was prepared to go as far as deliberately starving Anthony to death so she could inherit a significant amount of his fortune.' Three others were also convicted for their roles in the fraud. The Rickards were remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on June 1.
