Fraudster ordered to repay £17k or face jail Man exploited vulnerable woman and stole her money
ASCHEMING fraudster who exploited the trust of a vulnerable woman was ordered to pay a total of £17,000 or face a year in jail.
Heartless Stephen Bottomley must cough up the money within the next three months or spend a year behind bars after being handed a confiscation order at Liverpool Crown Court.
Bottomley, of Westcliffe Road, Birkdale, was originally spared jail after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation last year.
But he was hauled back before the court this week under the Proceeds of Crime Act and could yet be locked up.
Now 61, Bottomley gained the trust of his vulnerable victim, who has Asperger’s syndrome, after they first met in 2015 and persuaded her to let him manage three houses she owned through inheritances.
He then took the woman, who is not able to manage her own finances, under his control and convinced her to give him access to her bank accounts, purportedly for the purposes of looking after the buildings.
But he callously exploited her and stole thousands from her. The fraudster initially denied stealing the money but changed his plea to guilty when a trial was due to begin at Liverpool Crown Court in December 2019.
In an impact statement, the victim said that she was “totally under his control” and was disgusted by his actions, which had shattered her trust in people and left her feeling scared and vulnerable.
Sentencing, Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said that the woman was a “highly vulnerable victim” and that the theft had a “high personal impact”.
He gave Bottomley a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months; a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim; and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Bottomley was hauled back before the court this week and must now pay back the stolen money or face jail.
Detective Constable Mike Doyle, from Merseyside Police’s Economic Crime Team, said: “Bottomley is a scheming and calculating individual who, further to his conviction last year, will now be forced to pay back this significant amount of ill-gotten money to his victim or face the prospect of jail.
“He targeted a vulnerable woman and betrayed her trust for his own financial gain, persuading her that he would take care of the maintenance of her properties and her financial affairs.
“Thankfully, Bottomley’s crimes were brought to light and we were able to put him before the courts and safeguard the victim.
“Her properties have now rightfully been returned to her and she is receiving support. Hopefully the court’s decision helps this process.
“I would like to reassure the public that if you believe you are the victim of any kind of fraud, help is available and all reports will be taken extremely seriously and investigated thoroughly.”
If someone believes they have fallen victim to any kind of fraud contact Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police. uk or by calling 101 or the confidential Crimestoppers line, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
A RESIDENT at a care home in Southport will be celebrating her 100th birthday on Saturday.
Gladys Stanway, who is a resident at The Hollies care home, will be celebrating her birthday with residents and staff at the home and with her family at a later date due to Covid-19 restrictions.
She was born in Lincolnshire and was the eldest of six children. She later trained as a nurse in Lincoln.
She met and married Cyril Stanway in 1942 and during the war travelled to Plymouth where Cyril was stationed and Gladys was a district nurse, a job she loved. They later moved to Northwich in Cheshire.
They had two daughters and Gladys now has two granddaughters and three great-grandchildren. Her family live around the country as well as in Alaska.
Gladys still enjoys sitting in the garden in the good weather and going shopping when she can.
Her family wish her happy birthday and many congratulations on reaching her 100th birthday.