A 'trusted' nephew who cheated his aunt out of £600,000 and abused his position of power of attorney has been found guilty.

David Eggleton, 71, of Newbury Avenue, was found guilty of defrauding his Auntie Lilian following a trial at Swindon Crown Court on Friday, January 19.

His aunt died before justice was done.

The criminal activity was first reported to Wiltshire Police in September 2020 when Lilian's payments to her care home kept bouncing back and she realised there was no money in her bank account.

A police investigation found that Eggleton had moved more than £600,000 into his own account.

"This was a long and complex case where Eggleton was trusted by his Auntie Lilian who he then took advantage of," said Detective Constable Aaron Rowe.

"What is even worse is that sadly, Lilian passed away before getting justice."

Eggleton claimed that his aunt had loaned and gifted him the money, even pointing to a loan agreement he had created allegedly with her assistance.

However during the trial, he admitted that the loan agreement was created fraudulently.

"This will have no doubt had a huge impact on Lilian's wellbeing," added Constable Rowe.

Eggleton has now been released on bail and is due to be sentenced on March 28.

"We would urge anyone who sees something suspicious or has concerns for someone to get in contact with us straight away," said a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police

You can also report a concern about an attorney or guardian on the government website: Report a concern about an attorney, deputy or guardian - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).