Mother stole £50,000 bequeathed to daughters

A MOTHER secretly stole a £50,000 inheritance from her own daughters, a court heard.

Katherine Hill, 53, and her father Gerald Hill, 93, were told they acted out of “greed and spite” in taking the sum left for the two girls.

The £50,000 bequest was made for Gemma Thomas and Jessica Thomas by their grandmother Margaret on the provision that they could access it when they turned 25.

The thefts were uncovered when one of the daughters asked for the money early to buy a house – which was allowed under the terms of the will – and discovered it had all gone.

The account was managed by Katherine Hill and her father, who were the named trustees, and investigators found the pair had emptied it in just over a year.

Prosecutors said the withdrawals were made either by Mrs Hill, who worked at the nearby Lloyds bank, or by her father acting as his daughter’s “useful stooge”.

Mr Hill claimed he had taken out the money and paid it in cash to his grandchildren by posting envelopes through their door, but the girls told the court they never received a penny.

A jury at Swansea Crown Court took just two hours to find them both guilty of fraud by abuse of position.

Prosecutor James Hartson said Margaret Hill died in 2013 with the money for her grandchildren placed in a trust managed in part by their mother. He said she deposited the money into a Barclays account which allowed instant access.

Katherine and Gerald Hill both had cards for the account, and within 12

‘The granting of bail is an act of mercy so that you can prepare for immediate custody’

months of it being opened most of the £50,000 had been withdrawn in cash.

Katherine Hill of Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot, and Gerald Hill of Gower, Glamorgan, were convicted after a week-long trial.

Judge, Recorder Greg Bull KC told them they been convicted by the jury on “compelling evidence” and been driven by “greed and spite”.

He bailed them ahead of sentence but told them: “The granting of bail is an act of mercy so that you can prepare for immediate custody.”