A Kirkcaldy man left his elderly father with just £1.73 in his bank account after embezzling almost £100,000.
Bruce Randall was acting as power of attorney for his father over a three-year period from 2016 to 2019.
He told detectives his aging father – who died the day after going into a nursing home – had encouraged him to spend his money to prevent his sister from inheriting.
Randall, 61, spent some of the cash on family trips, including one to Salou.
His solicitor told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court Mr Randall senior had accompanied them on trips within the UK.
Spending jumped four-fold
Fiscal depute Sarah Smith said John Randall suffered from dementia during the period in question.
She said: “On December 12 2016 Maureen Randall (the accused’s mother) died following a period in hospital and in accordance with her will, her estate passed to John Randall.
“On her death the accused became power of attorney for his father.
“As power of attorney he had access to the bank cards and bank accounts of his father.
“Between this time and the death of John Randall a large number of cash withdrawals were carried out, which was inconsistent with previous patterns.”
Prior to Mrs Randall’s death the couple’s outgoings had been around £1,000 a month, but in the month after Randall was granted power of attorney this jumped to more than £4,500.
Randall and his family went on “a number” of holidays at his father’s expense.
Mr Randall senior moved in with his son in Kirkcaldy and, upon the sale of his house in Fraserburgh in February 2018, £56,821 was transferred to his account.
By May 2019 that account had just £1.73 in it.
Another bank account was overdrawn by £92.
Prison warning
Randall’s sister and her husband raised concerns about the misappropriation of funds.
In a police interview, Randall claimed his father had told him to take his family for a break in Salou and that he should spend the money because his sister was not to get any.
Solicitor David Bell, defending, said while he admitted taking the money, Randall had also been caring for his father and paying bills – over and above the amount he admitted stealing.
He said: “His position is that his father said for him to go spend the money but obviously he (Mr Randall snr) did not have capacity.”
Randall, of Hawkleymuir Place, admitted embezzling £96,861.87 between December 2016 and July 2019.
He further admitted stealing £2,127 from his father’s bank account between July and December 2019.
Sentence was deferred for reports but Sheriff Robert More warned Randall he is facing a custodial sentence.
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