Woman abuses wills and probate

Those looking for probate solicitors will be interested to hear that a court has ruled a woman must pay money she took from her dying mother to her sister.

The Evening Post reported that Anne Bissell, a nurse from Longwell Green, must now hand over £4,180 to her sibling.

Ms Bissell confessed that she had taken £60,000 from the bank account of her mother, Beryl Beames, while she was in care, which is why she now has to hand over the assets she has available.

The defendant had power of attorney over her mother's estate along with her sister Gail Hunter. After her mother's death two years ago she failed to take out probate and did not tell her parent's building society of her death.

"Mrs Bissell spent her life looking after her mother. She accepts she should not have taken the money. She fully accepts she has been dishonest," Nicolas Gerasimidis, who was defending her, said.

In a case last month, Douglas Latham was jailed after abusing his power of attorney to steal over £100,000 off Elsie Johnson, an elderly friend who was in a care home, Thisislincolnshire.co.uk reported.

Published by Phil Hammond