Man jailed for stealing £600k from aunt before she died

Eggleton had forged his aunt's signature on fraudulent loan agreements

A man who squandered his auntie's £600,000 savings on holidays, cars and Bitcoin while he had power of attorney has been jailed.

David Eggleton, 71, of Calne in Wiltshire, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison when he appeared at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday.

He was found guilty of fraud and perverting the course of justice on 19 January.

In a victim statement read out to the court, family member Mrs Delia Russel said auntie Lilian was "very distressed" and died struggling to understand why her nephew had acted this way.

Eggleton's auntie died before seeing her nephew being brought to justice

Eggleton had claimed the money was part of a consensual loan agreement, but later admitted it to be fraudulent.

He told the court that he had spent the money "irrationally", paying off his mortgage, buying cars, going on holidays, investing in Bitcoin, and a garden makeover.

Eggleton was appointed as his auntie's power of attorney in August 2017 after she moved into Kenbrook Care Home in Wembley.

Care home fees were paid from her account via direct debit, costing around £4,500.

After multiple payments bounced back, she became suspicious and signed a revocation of power document in June 2020, to prevent Eggleton from further interfering with her finances.

A Wiltshire Police investigation into the missing money was launched in September 2020, but she passed away on 13 February 2021 before she could make a personal statement.

Det Con 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."

Mr Rowe said the investigation was "long and complex"

According to Mr Rowe, Eggleton had protested his innocence "from day one", claiming his victim gifted him the money through a loan agreement he had allegedly created with her assistance.

But during the trial, Eggleton admitted that the loan agreement was created fraudulently, after only one copy was found at his home with his aunt's forged signature.

In a victim statement read out to the court, Mrs Russel added that auntie Lilian was "devoted" to her Christian faith and had been very frugal in life, only spending money on necessities.