Councillor stole £46,000 from veteran

♦ A former Ukip councillor cheated an RAF veteran out of £46,000 after she found him wandering the streets.

Over a three-year period, Stephanie Todd stole from the 98-year-old widower and pressured him into changing his will.

Teesside Crown Court heard she was in “dire financial straits” when she found Philip Wall in a confused state wandering around Richmond, North Yorks. Todd started caring for him in Aug 2013, but began taking money from his account. Mr Wall had wanted his savings to go to the Cats Protection League. Todd was convicted of theft in her absence after falling ill during her trial and will be sentenced next year.