Son who stole more than £250,000 from dementia-suffering mum from Marple jailed

The son of a woman with dementia who stole more than £250,000 from her to fund his luxurious lifestyle has been jailed.

Karl Zierold, from Marple in Stockport, was given power of attorney over his mother's financial affairs when her condition worsened and she was moved into a home.

Zierold, who was the eldest of four, was given full access to her bank account, draining it to fund holidays to Dubai and Mauritius, while also paying off his Mercedes V8 GT.

His crimes were only brought to light when concerns were raised about an unpaid car bill.

When confronted the 56-year-old wrote letters to his family admitted he had stolen his mum’s money.

Jailing him for three years and four months at Manchester Crown Court Recorder Jason MacAdam said told him: "The phrase ‘chip off the old block’ is as far removed as can be possible when it comes to you."

Prosecuting, Megan Edwards said Zierold’s mum was moved to a full-time residential care home in 2019 and the last power of attorney was put in place. 

As the eldest of his siblings, Zierold was entitled to look after his mother's financial affairs and gave him full access to her bank account.

In 2019, Zierold's siblings suggested they invest the money but he shot the idea down.

Later on, his mother's former partner raised concerns to Zierold's siblings regarding an unpaid car bill.

When Zierold's brother, James, checked the bank account himself, he saw the balance of just over £220,000 was. gone.

Prosecuting, Mergan Edwards said: “He found all the money had been removed from the bank account into the defendants,

“He asked the bank to check, who said that over £247,000 had been removed.

“James Zierold contacted his brother right away and informed him what the bank said. The defendant replied: “Oh s**t, I better tell you what’s happened then.”

Zierold explained that he had given the money to a prospective partner, and the money had not been repaid.

His brother reported the fraud to the Office of Public Guardian.

An investigation found that payments of £10,000 were debited from the account, along with individual payments of £1,000 at a time.

Zierold also used the money to pay for a Mercedes V8 GT, and expensive holidays to Dubai and Mauritius.

Megan Edwards said: “His family had previously asked him how he could afford such a luxurious lifestyle as he wasn’t employed. He was evasive."

After the investigation began, Zierold removed himself as the lasting power of attorney, which ceased the investigation.

In late 2021, Zierold sent a letter to his siblings in which he admitted he had taken the money, and in a further letter said he wanted to apologise.

Megan Edwards said: "Over a 32 month period, between February 2019 and October 2021, the defendant took £251,137.82 from his mother’s bank account across a number of transactions.

“189,000 was transferred to a business partner, £7,400 was spent on car payments and £10,358 was spent on holidays and nights away.”

Since his fraud was first discovered, Zierold has removed himself from his mother's will and declared bankruptcy.

In a statement, Zierold’s sister Heidi, said: “She wanted to make sure that in her old age she had a nest egg to look after her and have a small amount for her children,” she said.

“We no longer have enough to pay for her care.

“She put her trust in Karl and he broke that, and we are deeply disappointed. When we first found out, he said he would get the money back.

"That is almost two years ago, none of the money has been returned.”

She added that the suspension of the lasting power of attorney meant that the family no longer had a say in her care, which has caused ‘great emotional distress’. She also said that the financial situation is ‘permanently unresolved’.

Judge MacAdam said: “Your mother was a hard working person all her life, putting money aside so others would not bear the burden of responsibility of caring for her in her old age.

“The phrase ‘chip off the old block’ is as far removed as can be possible when it comes to you. You don’t serve to shoulder the burden for others - you are a burden on others.

“It’s hard to think of somebody standing in that dock that should be more ashamed of themselves as you should be.”

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