Man stole £228k from sick mother and didn't pay her care bill

A man who took advantage of his sick mother to spend more than £200,000 of her money on a failed business venture has been jailed.

David Kettle, 64, claimed he was paying for his mother's care at a nursing home in Bridgnorth.

But a court heard that while he was using some of the money to pay for her care, he was also spending money on a fast-food restaurant venture in Halesowen.

Kettle, of Crabtree Lane, Bromsgrove, had claimed his mother knew of the venture and approved of the plan.

However Judge Jonathan Gosling dismissed the claims.

He said: "It is preposterous that she would have agreed for you to take over her finances after having a failed business venture in the past.

"There is no mitigation for this."

Judge Gosling jailed Kettle for five years and nine months at Shrewsbury Crown Court, after he admitted a charge of stealing £228,575.81 from his mother, now 93.

The court heard how Kettle stole the money between January 2015 and July 2016, before being arrested.

It was said that he had agreed to pay the nursing home fees, but concerns were raised when £25,000 of unpaid bills were flagged up.

Judge Gosling said that throughout staff were led to believe Kettle was paying the bills, but it was his mother's money.

The court heard that when asked for a meeting about the unpaid money he was evasive, and made excuses as to why he could not attend.

The judge was told that Kettle was planning to remove his mother from care because he had no more money left.

At the time the local authority carried on funding the care, and still does today.

Judge Gosling read information from the GP of Kettle's mother, which in 2013 said she showed signs of dementia and she was diagnosed with Alzheimers.

Kettle was due to arrange power of attorney over her money but he never did.

In April 2015 the manager of the care home said the victim would not have had the capacity to sign a cheque.

Judge Gosling said the prosecution relied on bank statements showing payments to a businessman for a fast food restaurant in Halesowen.

From the statements it showed all the money used to pay for the business came straight from his mother's funds.

A witness statement from Kettle's brother also said his mother would have never signed over the money as she was a strong woman and she did not have the capacity to do so.

A statement from Kettle said he had a turbulent relationship with his mother but they reconciled in 2009 and he looked after her.

He said his mother had agreed the money be used for the business venture to give them a secure future.

He said she had agreed for power of attorney to be put in place.

However Judge Gosling dismissed the claims as unsatisfactory.

He said Kettle was the author of a business failing in 2008 and as a result he did not believe his mother would have given him control of her 'purse strings'.

Kettle also admitted failing to turn up on the day of his trial.

Benjamin Williams, mitigating, said his client had good intentions with the money, and had visited his mother regularly after he looked after her.

He said it was not a callous or self-serving offence.

But Judge Gosling dismissed the claim and said: "Your business venture was utterly incompetent.

"The evidence points to your mother not knowing about this.

"You looked at being the power of attorney but that was the last thing you wanted as you had a poor credit rating.

"For her to surrender control of her finances is preposterous."

Kettle was also jailed for three months for failing to appear at the trial date, which will run concurrently.