Mother faces jail for stealing £50,000 inheritance from her two daughters and ... trends now
A mother is facing jail for stealing £50,000 inheritance from her two daughters - and recruiting her 93-year-old dad as a 'stooge' in the theft plot.
Katherine Hill, 53, and her father Gerald Hill, 93, were told they acted out of 'greed and spite' in taking the sum left for the two girls.
The £50,000 bequest was made for Gemma Thomas and Jessica Thomas by their beloved grandmother Margaret on the provision that they could access it when they turned 25.
The thefts were uncovered when one of the girls asked to access the money early to buy a house - which was allowed under the terms of the will - and discovered it had all gone.
The account was managed by Katherine Hill and her father who were the named trustees, and investigators found the pair had emptied it in just over a year.
Katherine Hill (pictured) has been accused of stealing her daughters' £50,000 inheritance from their grandmother
A court heard that Katherine Hill 'recruited' her 93-year-old father Gerald Hill (pictured) into her plot
Prosecutors said the withdrawals were made either by Katherine Hill - who worked at the nearby Lloyds bank - or by Gerald Hill acting as his daughter's 'useful stooge'.
Gerald Hill claimed he had taken out the money and paid it in cash to his grandchildren by posting envelopes through their door - but the girls told the court they never received a penny.
A jury at Swansea Crown Court took just two hours to find them both guilty of fraud by abuse of position.
Prosecutor James Hartson said Margaret died in 2013 with the money for her grandchildren placed in a trust managed in part by their mother.
Mr Hartson said Katherine Hill later placed the money into a Barclays Everyday Saver account despite being advised not to - which allowed instant access.
Katherine and Gerald Hill both had cards for the account and within 12 months of it being opened most of the £50,000 had been withdrawn through cash withdrawals.
The transactions 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.
She told police 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 realised in 2018 when one of the daughters asked to access her share of the funds early to help buy a house with her boyfriend.
Sister Jessica Thomas (pictured) was left £50,000 by her late grandmother but discovered her mother had moved the money into another account and spent it
The £50,000 bequest was left for Gemma Thomas (pictured) and Jessica Thomas by their grandmother Margaret
Solicitors began a civil investigation into the fund and the police were called in.
The court heard Katherine Hill's ex-husband, Christopher Thomas reported the fraud to the police.
Mr Hartson said Katherine Hill told police she had known nothing about the large withdrawals of cash until her father told her he had been
