Two individuals running a care home were sentenced to three years in jail for attempting to defraud an elderly woman of £133,000 by forging her will. Graham Walker, 74, and Lyn Walker, 71, along with manager Jamiel Slaney-Summers, 65, conspired to deceive 85-year-old Rita Barnsley while she resided at Amberley Care Home in Brierley Hill, West Midlands. The fraudulent will, created with different pens and handwriting, included acknowledgments to Slaney-Summers and Lyn Walker for various reasons.
Following suspicions raised by Rita Barnsley’s cousin, Verna Woolley, an investigation revealed the trio’s scheme to claim a significant portion of Barnsley’s estate, comprising her £150,000 house and £28,000 in savings. The Walkers, from Halesowen, West Midlands, were convicted and sentenced, each ordered to pay £30,000 in costs, while Slaney-Summers, from Northfield, Birmingham, received a five-and-a-half-year prison term for their fraudulent actions.
Judge John Butterfield KC criticized the defendants for their greed-driven actions and highlighted the deliberate obstacles placed to hinder communication between Barnsley and her cousin Woolley. The court learned that the vulnerable Barnsley had moved to the care home due to illness, with the Walkers owning the facility at the time. Subsequently, the forged will appointed Mrs. Walker and Slaney-Summers as executors, allocating a significant portion of Barnsley’s estate to them.
The prosecutor, Mark Jackson, emphasized the strained contact between Barnsley and Woolley during Barnsley’s stay at the care home, leading to Woolley’s concerns upon reading the will. Slaney-Summers was also found to have misappropriated approximately £6,000 from Barnsley’s bank account. The defense argued that Slaney-Summers played a more active role in the fraud, with the Walkers becoming involved later and denying participation in the forgery.
Both the Walkers were described as individuals with good character who had their reputations tarnished by this opportunistic crime. Their defense highlighted health issues faced by Mr. Walker, who had multiple hospitalizations and recent surgeries. Mrs. Walker’s long career in the care industry was also noted.
