Women are convicted of faking man’s will

THREE women have been found guilty of conspiring to fake an elderly man’s will in order to get their hands on a share of his £320,000 estate.

Karen O’Brien, Gemma Gauci and Leanne Collins each denied conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, but were convicted by a jury following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

Recorder Peter Griffiths QC told the jury: “I must thank you for considering this case with great care.”

He added: “This was a difficult case, an unusual case – a sorry case in many ways.”

The court previously heard victim James Wilmot, known as Jim, was 89 when he died at the University Hospital Llandough on October 20, 2014.

Prosecutor Clare Wilks said his estate was worth a total of £319,883.24 and the three defendants conspired to create a false will.

The court heard the document was created in 2013, but handwriting experts concluded the signature did not belong to Mr Wilmot.

Detective Constable Alex Jenkins, from South Wales Police, noted it looked like the signature “had been traced”.

Prosecutors said O’Brien and Gauci, who posed as executors, took initial payments of about £4,000 each, followed by further payments of £10,000 each in December 2015.

Ms Wilks said they confirmed a month later they were happy to accept £87,000 for the sale of his property on Clydesmuir Road in Tremorfa.

There were cries from the public gallery as the jury foreman delivered the unanimous verdicts.

Adjourning the case for sentence, Recorder Griffiths said he would listen to mitigation with an open mind, but warned the defendants to expect immediate custody.

He added: “This is a serious case and a case of some note.”

O’Brien, 53, from Glenmuir Road, did not make an application for bail and was remanded in custody overnight.

Gauci, 35, from Whitmuir Road, and Collins, 40, from Stenhousemuir Road, were granted conditional bail.

They will be sentenced today.