Man jailed for stealing paedophile's £70k savings

Telegraph

5 days ago

A man who stole his paedophile uncle's £70,000 savings while he was in jail has joined him in prison.
Lee Barnett was given power of attorney over the financial affairs of his relative, Kenneth Rogers, who was jailed in 2022 for 27 years over historic child sex offences.
He was instructed to sell Rogers' house and put the money in his bank account so he could access it upon his release.
The sale of the property in Weymouth, Dorset, raised about £150,000, and after fees were paid, the sum left over was £70,000.
But instead of leaving the funds for his uncle, Barnett transferred the entire proceeds into his own accounts from July 2022.
By the time the fraud was uncovered and Barnett was arrested in September 2023, Rogers' savings had all been used in ways unknown.
Barnett, 37, was charged with fraud by abuse of position and went on trial at Bournemouth Crown Court last month. He was found guilty and has been jailed for three years.
Thomas Evans, prosecuting, said that Barnett had committed an 'abuse of trust' and that Rogers, 62, had been 'left with nothing'.
But the judge said it was wrong to refer to Rogers as a 'vulnerable victim' because of the 'very serious offences' he committed.
However, he said the size of the fraud meant he had to impose an immediate custodial sentence.
Justice William Mousley said: 'You are the nephew of Kenneth Rogers, who received a 27-year prison sentence in respect of serious sexual offences.
'As a result of him going to prison, you were asked by him to help look after his financial affairs whilst he was serving his sentence.
'That involved the sale of his house and for the money to be kept so he would have it when he came out of prison.
'You agreed to take power of attorney over his financial affairs and the property was sold in April 2022.
'Between July and August 2022, by various means, you transferred the money to your accounts and in just a few weeks you had taken the whole £70,000.
'It's difficult to see where it all went, but I'm quite sure you weren't investing the money for his benefit.'
The court heard that Barnett, of Chard, Somerset, suffered from ADHD and learning difficulties,
He had committed no previous similar offences and was the primary carer for his partner.
He cried while the judge sent him to prison, where he will serve 40 per cent of his sentence before being released on parole.
Rogers, of Weymouth, was found guilty to seven counts of rape of a child under the age of 16, one count of rape of a child under 13, indecent assault, assault of a child under 13, and possession of indecent images of a child after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in January 2022.
The offences were carried out between the 1980s and 2000s.