Wiltshire fraudster stole £600k from aunt living in care home

A man from Wiltshire stole £600k from his aunt by abusing his position as power of attorney. 

A report was made to Wiltshire Police in September 2020 when payments to a woman's care home kept bouncing. When this was checked, it was found there was no money in her bank account.

After an investigation, it was found that the woman's nephew, David Eggleton, 71 and of Newbury Avenue in Calne, had moved more than £600,000 into his own account.

Eggleton was sentenced to five and a half years in prison at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday 1 August after being found guilty following a trial in January.

Detective Constable Aaron Rowe said: "This was a long and complex case where Eggleton was trusted by his Auntie Lilian who he then took advantage of. What is even worse is that sadly, Lilian passed away before getting justice.

"Throughout the case Eggleton claimed his victim loaned and gifted him the money, even pointing to a loan agreement he had created allegedly with her assistance, but during the trial he admitted that the loan agreement was fraudulently created. This will of no doubt had a huge impact on Lilian's wellbeing.

"We would urge anyone who sees something suspicious or has concerns for someone to get in contact with us straight away. You can do this on our website, by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency."