A MAN has been sentenced for fraud after he used his power of attorney responsibility to raid his uncle’s bank account.
Rodger Magee, of Portadown in Co. Armagh, has been convicted of mismanaging his relative’s pension and savings while he was admitted to a nursing home with ill health.
Rodger Magee was sentenced this week at Craigavon Crown Court
He was convicted of fraud by false representation, fraud by failing to disclose information and fraud by abuse of position at Craigavon Crown Court yesterday (September 29) and sentenced to a 12-month custodial sentence which was suspended for two years.
Concerns over the older man’s finances were investigated by the South Health and Social Care Trust in November 2019, when nursing home fees totalling almost £3,500 were going unpaid.
Magee, 54, who had a previous clear criminal record, had enduring power of attorney for his uncle, who was in his late 80s at the time and has since passed away.
He had undertaken to make these payments from his uncle’s accounts.
“This became a police matter in June 2020 when it was also discovered that there were unauthorised withdrawals from the man’s bank accounts and a failure to disclose full details of his income which had resulted in the nursing home fees being calculated at a lower rate,” Detective Inspector Peter MacCionáoith of PSNI Organised Crime Branch said.
“These bank statements revealed that there were in excess of £15,000 in unexplained debits from this bank account between June 1, 2018 and February 19, 2020.”
Their investigation further found that Magee had also moved into his uncle’s former home and had been using his relative’s bank account to pay for oil and electricity.
“Being granted power of attorney is a major, legal responsibility and one which should be undertaken with care and consideration,” Det Insp MacCionáoith said.
“In this case, this man was trusted by his family member to act in his best interests and manage his finances when he was at his most vulnerable.
“He failed to honour this trust and exploited his uncle’s finances to his own gain.”
He added: “Our priority within the PSNI is to safeguard vulnerable people in our communities. If you have any concerns on how a power of attorney is being used or misused, please call us on 101.
“We will listen and we will act. Any abuse of that trust will be treated with the utmost seriousness and, as this case shows, may result in a criminal conviction.”