Battle son guilty of stealing thousands from elderly dad, but brother acquitted

A son has been found guilty of using power of attorney to steal tens of thousands from his vulnerable father, but his brother has been found not guilty.
They appeared at Lewes Crown Court todayThey appeared at Lewes Crown Court today
They appeared at Lewes Crown Court today

Peter Taylor from Eastbourne was preyed upon by his son Jonathan Taylor after his wife died, a court was told.

Jonathan, 49, of The Green in Ninfield, Battle was today found guilty of fraud at Lewes Crown Court today.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His brother Ivor Taylor, 52, of Cranfield Road in Bexhill was found not guilty of the same offence.

Jonathan Taylor will be sentenced next month, where he is expected to present evidence of how much of the debt he has repaid.

At an earlier hearing, jurors were told that the pair had power of attorney over their father in 2015 and 2016 because of his Alzheimer’s and deteriorating mental state.

Prosecutor Nicholas Hall said: “Peter Taylor suffered various difficulties.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“In 2013 he had a stroke. In 2014 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s . At the end of 2014 his wife died leaving him alone with only his sons to help care for him.”

The court heard that his declining mental state left him unable to look after his own affairs, so in January 2015 his sons were given power of attorney.

Jonathan Taylor spent £7,000 on a ‘quite expensive’ car, bought a new roof for his house and paid off a bank loan with the money from the sale of his father’s house, the court heard.