Latest news with #MargaretHill
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Mother ordered to repay £50k inheritance she stole from daughters
A mother has been ordered to repay £50,000 she stole from her daughters, which had been bestowed on them in their grandmother's will. Katherine Hill, 54, and her father Gerald Hill, 94, from south Wales, were said to have acted out of 'greed and spite' in staging the 'blatant and brazen' theft. Margaret Hill had intended to place the money in a trust for her grandchildren, Gemma and Jessica Thomas, which could be accessed on their 25th birthdays. Katherine and Gerald were made trustees of the account when Mrs Hill died in 2013 and secretly drained the account in just over a year. The deceit was only discovered in 2018 when one of the daughters sought to access the money early to buy a house with her boyfriend, which was allowed under the terms of the will. Prosecutors said the withdrawals had been made either by Katherine, who worked at Lloyds Bank, or by their father acting as a 'useful stooge'. Gerald claimed he had posted the cash to his grandchildren in envelopes but the daughters claimed to have never received a penny. The pair were found guilty of fraud by abuse of position last year, with Katherine sentenced to 30 months in prison, of which she served half in custody, and Gerald received a 12-month suspended sentence. The judge told Katherine she stole the money because she was 'so annoyed that your daughters received more money than you, that you took their inheritance'. They returned to Swansea Crown Court for a proceeds of crime hearing. James Hartson, prosecuting, said Katherine had initially told investigators she had a 50 per cent equity share in her partner's home after paying the mortgage for nine years. She later withdrew the claim and said she had no equitable right to the house, with Mr Hartson saying the move was a 'thoroughly dishonest' attempt to avoid payment. Judge Greg Bull KC ruled in favour of the prosecution, saying Katherine had 'laundered' some of her daughters' money by paying her partner's mortgage. He said Katherine and Phillip Lloyd, a window cleaner, 'lived together as man and wife' and she could repay her daughters by raising equity from their home. Mr 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.' Mr Bull added: '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.' Katherine was told she must pay £50,000 in three months or face six months' imprisonment in default, while Gerald was ordered to pay £6,000 for his part in the fraud or face three months in prison.
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
‘Greedy & spiteful' mum who ‘looted' £50,000 inheritance left for her two daughters, 12 & 15, by their granny is jailed
A MOTHER was ordered to pay back £50,000 "looted" from her own daughters inheritance left to them in their grandmother's will. Katherine Hill, 54, and her father Gerald Hill, 94, staged a "blatant and brazen" fraud, taking every penny inherited by the two girls from their beloved gran. 3 3 The sizeable £50,000 inheritance was generously gifted for Gemma and Jessica Thomas by their grandmother Margaret Hill in a trust for their 25th birthdays. Margaret died in 2013 and placed the money for the two girls in a trust when Jessica was 12 and Gemma was 15. Katherine Hill and her father Gerald were trustees of the account - but drained it completely within just over a year while the girls were still children. A court heard that due to inflation the sum stolen by their "greedy and spiteful" mother and grandfather was now worth in the region of £65,000. But their shameless mother and grandfather tried to lie their way out of it by claiming they posted cash in envelopes through the girls' letterboxes. However the Hills were found guilty - with Katherine Hill jailed for 30 months and her father handed a 12 month suspended sentence. The judge told Hill she stole the money because she was 'so annoyed that your daughters received more money than you, that you took their inheritance'. The court heard Katherine Hill had placed the money into an instant access Barclays Everyday Saver account despite being advised not to. She and her father both had cards for the account and within 12 months of it opening most of the £50,000 had been withdrawn through cash withdrawals. The fraud was only realised in 2018 when one of the girls asked for her money early so she could buy a house with her boyfriend. Sickening moment two school children steal puppy from Glasgow garden 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. 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 Hill 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.
