[A] SON accused of defrauding his elderly mother has denied acting dishonestly.
John Gwynn, 66, is on trial at Carlisle Crown Court. He denies one charge of fraud. This alleges that during an 18-month period in 2015 and 2016 he abused his position as power of attorney through which he was expected to safeguard the financial interests of the late Mary Elizabeth Gwynn. Mrs Gywnn, of Barrow, died in January aged 91.
The prosecution alleges Gwynn committed a fraud totalling more than £46,000 while holding a legal right to make decisions in relation to her property and financial details.
Giving evidence today (WED), engineer Gwynn admitted spending some of her money having taken an extended unpaid break from work to care for her.
“She was saying that I shouldn’t suffer – if there was anything I needed (she said) I had to make certain I wasn’t suffering because I was looking after her,” he told jurors.
Thousands of pounds was repaid, he insisted.
His barrister, Jacob Dyer, asked: “Do you consider that anything you have done has been dishonest?”
Gwynn, of Kirkstone Crescent, Barrow, replied: “I don’t think so. I think I might have been negligent in a few ways. But in the heart of it I have been very honest, very open and very supportive.”
The trial continues.
