A “despicable” couple have been ordered to return money they defrauded by abusing their positions as Power of Attorney for elderly parents.
Gary and Diane Mansell have been jailed for six years for fraud and money laundering after abusing their Power of Attorney.
They sold the home of Gary Mansell’s elderly parents and kept the proceeds of the sale for themselves to spend on luxury goods and holidays.
Mr Mansell’s mother spent her final days living in a converted garage with an alarmed door.
The court heard that the Mansells made 103 transfers from the victims’ bank account to their own and spent over £59,000 in 11 months. By the time his mother died, Mr Mansell had sold their cars, house and left his parents with just 28p.
At sentencing, the judge said that the couple had exhibited a, “despicable display of greed, vanity, and selfishness.” The pair spent over £9,000 on cosmetic dental work, purchased a gold BMW, and spent money on holidays in Jamaica and luxury UK hotels.
At Liverpool Crown Court yesterday they had Confiscation Orders amounting to £289,773 imposed on them and the Crown Prosecution Service secured a Compensation Order to ensure the victim receives money taken from him.
The victim has already received compensation of £105,000 from the bank and will now receive the outstanding amount of £204,987 in compensation. The male victim will receive the full value of his loss. The Mansells will have three months to pay the orders or risk a further three years in custody
Chief Crown Prosecutor Adrian Foster said: “The Mansells’ stole from his elderly parents. His mother’s final days were spent having been moved into their converted garage with an alarmed door, while Gary and Diane spent their money on lavish holidays and house renovations.”
“Today, we are pleased to be able to get an order to return what was stolen back to Gary’s 86-year-old father, the victim, ensuring that the Mansell’s cannot continue to benefit from their crimes, which were driven purely by greed and selfishness.”
“The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division has in the last five years, recovered over £530 million from Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. Over £102 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.”
The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division have successfully achieved both a Confiscation Order and Compensation Order at Liverpool Crown Court today to ensure that the entirety of the money stolen from the victim is returned to him.
The CPS successfully submitted to the court that the house was sold at a significant undervalue, which was accepted by the Judge, meaning that this money could be included in the Confiscation Order and returned to the victim. Without this the victim would have lost the money he put into his house for years and the rightful proceeds of its sale.