A Wiltshire man who defrauded his aunt out of more than £600,000 by abusing his position as power of attorney has been sentenced.

David Eggleton, 71, of Newbury Avenue, Calne, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday, August 1 after being found guilty following a trial in January.

Wiltshire Police received reports in September 2020 when payments to a woman’s care home kept bouncing and they found there was no money in her bank account.

After a long investigation, they discovered Eggleton had moved more than £600,000 into his own account.

Detective Constable Aaron Rowe said: “This was a long and complex case where Eggleton was trusted by his Auntie Lilian who he then took advantage of. What is even worse is that sadly, Lilian passed away before getting justice.

“Throughout the case Eggleton claimed his victim loaned and gifted him the money, even pointing to a loan agreement he had created allegedly with her assistance, but during the trial he admitted that the loan agreement was fraudulently created. This will of no doubt had a huge impact on Lilian’s wellbeing.

"We would urge anyone who sees something suspicious or has concerns for someone to get in contact with us straight away. You can do this on our website, by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency."