Love Actually star tricked out of her £65,000 life savings by friend at BBC
AN actress who appeared in Love Actually was cruelly swindled of her £65,000 life savings by a friend.
The late Meg Wynn Owen, 82, whose real name was Margaret Wright, was forced to wear dead people’s clothes at her care home and have staff cut her hair after she was robbed of all her money. She passed away in July.
Brian Malam, 60, was jailed for more than two-and-a-half years for raiding the dementia sufferer’s life savings.
A court heard that the pair struck up a friendship while working on BBC shows before Malam – a costume designer who worked on a Doctor Who video game – was made her power of attorney.
Prosecutor Abigail Jackson said Mrs Wright – who also starred as Hazel in Upstairs, Downstairs and in Pride & Prejudice with Keira Knightley – entrusted Malam to transfer money to her care home. But Malam made electronic payments of £53,000 along with more than £11,000 in direct spending from her accounts to himself, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
Miss Jackson said the alarm was raised by her bank when they spotted suspicious activity on Mrs Wright’s account. She said: ‘Mrs Wright became terribly upset about it. The matter was then reported to the police in September 2020. That’s how the investigation with the police started and the matter came to light.’ The court heard Mrs Wright’s Barclays account was left with a £1,750.12 overdraft which was later written off by the bank.
Mrs Wright, secretary to the prime minister played by Hugh Grant in Love Actually, had just £229.94 left in another account and only 72p and 21p in a third and a fourth bank account.
Ms Jackson added: ‘The prosecution has now been made aware that very sadly the victim passed away in July this year.’
The court heard Malam – who also worked on the Welsh police drama Hinterland – claimed he had used the money for his own showbusiness costume company while also spending it on alcohol.
He stole money between 2015 and 2019 while Mrs Wright was suffering from dementia and her condition was deteriorating.
Judge Paul Hobson said Malam had been given power of attorney which was ‘an important position of trust carrying with it a great deal of responsibility’.
He said: ‘The position was that you were taking money from her bank account in significant funds and either transferring into your own account or spending it.’
Judge Hobson said Mrs Wright was also left having her hair cut by staff at the home because she had no money for a hairdresser.
He added: ‘She was reduced by your actions towards her.’
Malam, of Grangetown, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to fraud while occupying a position of trust and jailed for two years and eight months.
‘She became terribly upset’