WANTAGE & GROVE EDITION £6m carer’s allowances this week: ‘are going unclaimed’ p12
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Thursday, December 5 - Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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COUNCILLOR’S FRAUD SHAME Morgan guilty of conning elderly woman out of £154,000
Christmas is definitely upon us - see page 8
A VALE of White Horse District Councillor for Wantage Charlton has been found guilty of stealing £154,000 from an elderly woman, following a six-day trial at Oxford Crown Court that ended on Monday. John Morgan, 75, from Highclere Gardens, was found guilty of the one count of theft, and will be sentenced on January 10. Since January 2004, Morgan had been acting as power of attorney to Beryl Gittens, from Newbury, following the death of her husband. Ms Gittens passed away in January last year, prompting family members to become suspicious of what had happened to her money, leading to Thames Valley Police to begin investigations last July. A forensic accountant determined that £154,000 had been stolen and spent, not in the best interests of the victim as Morgan in
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By Adam Flinn adam@taylornewspapers.co.uk
had claimed. He was arrested and charged on March 7 this year, and following the trial has been released on bail ahead of his sentencing. Det Sgt Rachel Jackson, investigating the offence, said: “Not only did Morgan defraud a vulnerable and elderly woman of a vast amount of money from the sale of her house, he lied about the victim’s fi nancial affairs to cover the fact he had stolen all her savings. “Despite pleading not guilty to the offence, a jury saw through the lies and found him guilty of stealing from the victim, who thought he was a family friend and trusted him implicitly.” Ruth Bowskill of the Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service said: “We have a duty to protect the vulnerable members of our society. “Beryl was known to be very careful with her money and • Continued on page 3
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