Katherine Hill, 53, from Alltwen in Pontardawe, worked with her 93-year-old father Gerald, from Fairwood in Swansea, to obtain the sum left to her daughters Gemma and Jessica Thomas in their grandmother’s will.
It stated they could access the money once they turned 25, but Katherine and Gerald Hill emptied the account in just over a year.
Over the course of just 12 months all the money was taken out of the account in a series of large cash withdrawals – some as big a £15,000 – made from the Barclays bank branch on Swansea Enterprise Park.
Hill worked a matter of yards away from that branch at the neighbouring Lloyds bank. The thefts came to light when one of the daughters asked for her share of her money early in order to put down a deposit on a house – under the terms of the inheritance the money could be given to the girls early if the trustees agreed.
At Swansea Crown Court on Friday, Ms Hill, from Pontardawe near Swansea, was handed a 30-month prison sentence.
She will serve half of that in jail and half on licence. Mr Hill was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, with the judge fearing he would cause ‘chaos’ to the prison system if he were jailed due to his advanced age.
Judge, Recorder Greg Bull KC said:
“You are thoroughly dishonest people. Over a period of about a year, between March 2016 and March 2017 you each participated in a wilful fraud to obtain £50,000 from a trust fund which had been set up by Margaret Hill.
“Her granddaughters were to receive £25,000 each, a small bequest was made to a friend and you, Katherine Hill, was to receive the balance of her estate. I’m satisfied that you were so annoyed that your daughters had been left more money than you, that you spitefully and dishonestly decided to obtain their inheritance.
“You did it in part for greed – not only through greed but also in spite, the spite being that your daughters decided to live with their father rather than you. You used this money as a weapon against your own children. That was disgraceful conduct.”
Jessica Thomas broke down in tears as she attempted to read a victim impact statement to the court. The prosecutor, James Hartson, would read it on her behalf:
“When I try to put into words the emotions that arise when asked to discuss the crime against me and my sister by my mother and grandfather, I find it quite difficult.
“This is because I find it hard to understand how my family could have caused such hurt and pain to their own flesh and blood.”
“The thought of my mother and grandfather finding it so easy to create such lies scares me and this has led to difficulties in other areas of my life.
“I find it difficult to make meaningful and trusting relationships in every area of my life since. This has been seriously damaging to my mental health.”
