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COUNCILLOR’S FRAUD SHAME Morgan guilty of conning elderly woman out of £154,000

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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 ha had claimed. He was arrested and charged on H March 7 this year, and following M the trial has been released on bail th ahead of his sentencing. ah D Det Sgt Rachel Jackson, investigating the offence, said: “Not tig only did Morgan defraud a vulon

By Adam Flinn adam@taylornewspapers.co.uk

nerable 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 had amassed significant savings. She was left overdrawn, in debt to the local authority, and with no money to pay for a funeral. “This case should give victims the confidence to speak up. Victims should not hesitate to report trust cons to the police, so that they can be prosecuted appropriately in order to prevent further

• John Morgan victims being preyed upon. “It also sends a clear message to those involved in this kind of criminality that we will robustly prosecute them to ensure that justice is done. “I would like to pay tribute to Beryl’s family for their wholehearted support of this investigation and the dignity they have displayed while hearing the upsetting details of how she was taken advantage of. “I hope that this conviction brings Beryl’s family and true friends at least a small sense that justice has been done. Our thoughts are very much with them at this time.”


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