A 41-year-old woman from Grantham abused her Power of Attorney to fraudulently use £77,000 of a vulnerable elderly family member’s money.
Francie Williams, of Dysart Road in Grantham, was charged with Fraud by Abuse of Position and jailed for 18 months at Lincoln Crown Court. She pleaded guilty to the offence in October before the case was sent to Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing this week.
Williams was responsible for the family member’s finances and had a Power of Attorney agreement, which allowed her to only withdraw monies from his account for his benefit.
Instead, she used his money to buy a vehicle for her own personal use which cost around £23,000.
At the sentencing hearing Williams accepted taking a total of £77,000 from the complainant over a period of two years between 2014 to 2016. The majority of monies were taken via debit card, estimated to be in the region of 200 transactions.
Although Williams’ sentence has been handed out, the Proceeds of Crime Act Investigation is ongoing and will be heard in 2020.
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 provides a framework for criminals to be stripped of their assets accrued through criminal activity.
Detective Constable Kerry McNeill, leading the investigation, said: “As attorney for her relative’s financial affairs, Williams stole thousands to fund her own lifestyle.
“The sentence reflects how serious this crime is and serves as a reminder to those entrusted with such responsibility. If anyone suspects this type of fraud or any other fraud is happening to them or someone they know they should report it to us.”
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We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a fail to stop in Welton, Lincoln.
It’s believed a black or grey 4×4 or SUV vehicle collided with a silver Mini Cooper that was parked along Cliff Road. The incident was reported just after 3pm today.
If you witnessed the collision or have dashcam footage available, please get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 275 of 1st July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 275 of 1st July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
A snack bar in Lincoln has been told to make improvements in several areas after being given a one-star food hygiene rating.
Monks Road Snack Bar, located on 23 Monks Road, was visited by city council inspectors on May 25, 2022 and the rating was recently published on the Food Standards Agency’s website.
The standards found at the time of inspection showed that improvement was necessary in the areas of ‘hygienic food handling’ and the ‘Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building’.
It was also deemed that there was “major improvement necessary” relating to the ‘Management of food safety’.
Monks Road Snack Bar was previously given five-star ratings in June 2016 and September 2018.
The Lincolnite tried to contact the business on numerous occasions throughout the day on Friday, July 1 but the line was continuously engaged.