Man charged with stealing from people’s Wills

Posted 22/02/2010

People looking to have their Willsdrawn up may be more inclined to seek professional advice after a case in which a man was found to be stealing from the estates of his clients.

The unnamed 45-year-old was found to have approached elderly, childless people purporting to have the qualifications needed to create their last Will and testament.

However, once he had gained their trust, he persuaded the clients to put a clause into the document which he said would enable him to facilitate charitable donations from their estate once they had passed away.

In fact, the clause allowed him to divert their money straight to him and he used it to fraudulently fund a lavish lifestyle.

The perpetrator has now been caught and charged with four counts of theft and one of forgery.

Rita Leat of the Fellowship of Professional Willwriters and Probate Practitioners recently pointed out that there are many “rogue Willwriters” operating in the UK and urged Britons to use a properly qualified solicitor in order to have their Will drawn up.