Man from Calne found guilty of misusing power of attorney

A man from Calne has been found guilty of defrauding his aunt out of more then £600,000 by abusing his position of power of attorney.

David Eggleton, 71, of Newbury Avenue, was found guilty following a trial at Swindon Crown Court on Friday January 19.

A report was made to Wiltshire Police in September 2020 when payments to a woman's care home kept bouncing and when checked, it was found there was no money in her bank account. After a long investigation it was found that Eggleton had moved more than £600,000 into his own account.

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, right from day one, 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."

Eggleton has been released on bail and is due to be sentenced on March 28.

You can also report a concern about an attorney or guardian on the government website: Report a concern about an attorney, deputy or guardian - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)