A man has been ordered to pay back more than £62,000 which he stole from his now 91-year-old great aunt after she gave him power of attorney.
Christopher Towell, 49, of Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, was given control of his great aunt’s money in 2007.
She was living in Corston near Bath and had moved into a care home, but Towell took the money intended to pay for her care and spent it himself.
He was arrested in May 2014 and bailed until full details of the account and expenditure were known.
Towell was charged with theft in August 2015 and on Thursday 17th March 2016 he appeared before Bristol Crown Court, when he entered a guilty plea, which was accepted by the court.
On Friday 15th April 2016 he was handed a two-year jail term, suspended for two years, with a requirement to attend a ‘thinking skills’ programme.
In a hearing on Friday 10th June, Bristol Crown Court ordered him to pay £62,504.77 in compensation to his great aunt within three months.
If he fails to pay he will be sent to prison for a year and will still be liable to pay the money back.
Dr Kirstie Cogram, the manager of Avon and Somerset Financial Investigation Unit said: “We are committed to seizing all assets that criminals have gained as a result of crime.
“It is not acceptable that criminals benefit from illegal activities and we will relentlessly pursue them through the courts to ensure their money is taken.
“By doing this we show criminals that they will not benefit from crime and deter others from entering a life of crime.”
One in seven people knows someone living off the proceeds of crime.
You can pass on information through the police website www.avonandsomerset.police.uk or contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org. They never ask for your name or trace your call.
