Lorry driver, 54, is jailed after posing as his dead neighbour for two years and stealing £60,000 of his savings by pretending to be pensioner when he phoned bank
- Dean Thompson, 54, cared for David Traylen for two decades until he died at 78
- David had no known beneficiaries, the court heard when the money was stolen
- Thompson pled to 5 counts of fraud by false representation and 1 count of theft
- The lorry driver was sentenced to two years in prison at Hull Crown Court
A lorry driver has been jailed after posing as his dead neighbour for two years and stealing £60,000 of his savings by pretending to be the pensioner when he phoned the bank.
The court was told when David Traylen, who Dean Thompson ‘unofficially cared’ for over two decades, died aged 78, it was believed he had no known beneficiaries.
Posing as David, Thompson, 54, told the bank he was ‘very ill and wanted to sort out his funds’ and then stole the money.
But after he took a total of £61,356.25 from David’s accounts, over two years, the elderly man’s sister, who lived in New Zealand, came forward.
Thompson was then was taken in for a police interview, where he claimed the money had been a gift from David, but later fully admitted to five counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft at Hull Crown Court.
The lorry driver from Hull was sentenced to two years in prison.
The court was told when David Traylen, who Dean Thompson (pictured) ‘unofficially cared’ for over two decades, died aged 78, it was believed he had no known beneficiaries
Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, told the court David did not have any known relatives or beneficiaries to his estate when he died on October 2, 2017.
Thompson registered David’ s death with Hull City Council but then called up First Direct bank, impersonating David and asking for the £28,000 in his savings account to be transferred into his current account.
Posing as David, Thompson told the bank he was ‘very ill and wanted to sort out his funds’. He then wrote himself a cheque for £25,000.
Over the next two years, the court heard, Thompson used the money for his family’s day-to-day expenditure. He continued to withdraw a further £6,367 using Mr Traylen’s debit card.
In October 2019, again posing as his dead neighbour, Thompson accessed a further £30,000 of uncashed bonds and transferred them into his own account.
Posing as David, Thompson, 54, pictured, told the bank he was ‘very ill and wanted to sort out his funds’ and then stole the money
On November 11, 2019, David’s sister came forward to claim his estate and she appointed a solicitor in the UK to liquidate the property, unearthing Thompson’s fraud.
A total of £61,356.25 was taken from Mr Traylen’s accounts.
Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said Thompson has had no previous convictions in his 54 years.
She added: ‘He knows what he did was despicable and utterly regrets his actions.
‘His intentions were good, he supported David Traylen when he was alive, David had no one to care for him when he was alive. The defendant had meaningful intentions.
‘Thompson is someone with a strong work ethic, working for most of his adult life, he had a secure job at Stagecoach Transport.
‘He has been trying to put together the funds to pay back what he took, he wants to put it right.’
Judge Kelson sentenced Thompson, 54, of De La Pole Avenue, to two years in prison at Hull Crown Court, pictured
Judge Peter Kelson QC told Dean Thompson: ‘I accept that you did previously support the victim before his demise.
‘Your described yourself as his unofficial carer, that is an underestimation of the support you provided him.
‘However, after his death, you immediately transferred money to yourself by deceiving his bank.
‘The aggravating features of this case are the abuse of trust and sophisticated nature of the offence in that it took significant planning.
‘This surpasses the threshold for immediate custody.’
Judge Kelson sentenced Thompson, 54, of De La Pole Avenue, to two years in prison.
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