Mother, 54, who 'looted' £50,000 from her own daughters' trust that had been left to them in their grandmother's will must pay back every penny

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A 'greedy' mother has been ordered to pay back the £50,000 inheritance she stole from her daughters that was left to them in their grandmother's will.
Katherine Hill, 54, and her father Gerald Hill, 94, from south Wales, acted out of 'greed and spite' in taking the sum left for her daughters Gemma and Jessica Thomas.
The £50,000 bequest was made for them by their grandmother Margaret Hill on the provision that they could access it when they turned 25 or wanted to buy a house. One of the girls then asked for access to the cash and discovered it was gone.
Katherine and her father were trustees of the account when Margaret died in 2013, but they both raided the account of every penny in the space of a year.
They were both last year found guilty of fraud by abuse of position with Katherine sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, where she served half in custody and half on licence.
Gerald Hill was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
The Hills returned to Swansea Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Hearing in a bid to claw back their ill-gotten gains.
Prosecutor James Hartson said Hill initially told investigators she had a 50 per cent equity share in her partner's home after paying the mortgage for nine years.
Katherine Hill's daughters Gemma (left) and Jessica Thomas (right) lost their £50,000 inheritance thanks to their mother and grandfather's actions
But she later withdrew the claim and said she had no equitable right to the house - with Mr Hartson saying her change of stance was a 'thoroughly dishonest' attempt to avoid payment.
Judge, Recorder Greg Bull KC, ruled in favour of the prosecution, and said Hill had 'laundered' some of her daughters' money by paying her partner's mortgage.
He said Hill and window cleaner Phillip Lloyd 'lived together as man and wife' and she could repay her daughters by raising equity from their home.
Recorder Bull said: 'It is significant that investigations could not reveal what had happened either to that £50,000, or to what had happened to other relatively substantial sums left to Katherine Hill after her mother's demise.
'She still maintains that she has never received the £50,000. I disbelieve her on that and I find her answer to be totally untruthful.
'Mr Lloyd is fully aware of what happened to that £50,000 and has probably helped her at least launder it, if not enjoy the fruits of her fraud.'
Recorder Bull said: 'That £50,000 was used for the benefit of both of them, it would have been used to pay the mortgage, it would have been used to pay their utilities, it would have used to enjoy their lifestyles - a lifestyle that they would not have been able to afford.'
'This is a couple who lived as man and wife, they shared their income and they shared the money looted by Miss Hill from her daughters.'
Katherine was told she must pay £50,000 in three months or face six month prison in default.
Mr Hill was ordered to pay £6,000 for his part in the fraud or face three months in prison.
The court heard if neither of the Hills pay they will be jailed but their debts would not be cleared.
In a victim impact statement read at Swansea Crown Court following the Hills' conviction, Jessica Thomas said she found it difficult how her family could cause her so much 'harm and pain' and the fact that they can lie so easily 'scares' her.
The qualified nurse added: 'Financially, my life has been affected more than I thought.'
In a written statement, her sister Gemma said that their actions have caused her to be in debt and 'it's been a great deal of emotional and financial stress.'
She added that she feels 'let down and lied to' by two people who are meant to be her 'blood and family.'
The withdrawals, made over the course of a year, included one for £15,000 and others for £10,000 - along with a single bank transfer of £2,300 directly into Katherine Hill's account.
She claimed that transaction was used to pay for the family's boxer dog operation which Jessica had agreed to, adding that smaller amounts of money were spent on shopping trips at New Look and Primark on behalf of her daughters.
She said: 'It was for their benefit - I didn't think I was doing anything wrong.'
The fraud was only identified in 2018 when one of the daughters asked to access her share of the funds early to help buy a house with her boyfriend. Solicitors began a civil investigation into the fund and the police were called in.