William Franklin, a tax advisor who stole more than £1.8million from an elderly woman, lost most of it when his Thai bride gambled it away in Bangkok.

Franklin, 61, was working as a tax advisor for Surrey solicitors Guillaumes and had power of attorney over the bank accounts of Kathleen Renson.

Over a five-year period - from March 2001 to January 2006 - Franklin illegally transferred £1,837,000 from Kathleen Renson's bank accounts into his own.

Franklin even continued to take money from Mrs Renson's account after her death, aged 80, at a nursing home in Lightwater in 2005.

He admitted 217 counts of theft by deception at Woking Magistrates' Court in July and was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Friday.

At the sentencing, prosecutor Graham Smith, said: "Mr Franklin had power of attorney over Mrs Renson's estate with another partner at Guillaumes.

"The agreement between the defendant and the other controlling solicitor was that he [Franklin] would have control of the bank accounts and assets owned by Mrs Renson.

"The defendant had financial control of everything."

After Mrs Renson's death, Franklin made six transactions, all between January 18 and 24 2006.

The court heard Franklin, previously of Chilton Close, Eastbourne, transferred £9,950 from Mrs Renson's Nationwide account to his own on January 18 and then transferred a similar amount a minute later.

Later that day, he also transferred £8,400 from her bank account into his own.

Mrs Renson's bank account, holding savings of more than £3million, was based at the Walton-on-Thames branch in Surrey, where the court heard Franklin was a regular customer and known to the staff.

Following Mrs Renson's death and Franklin's continued unlawful bank transactions, he transferred £630,000 of the stolen cash to three bank accounts in Bangkok.

Defending Franklin, David Castle said: "Initially it didn't occur to him to take money from Mrs Renson's bank accounts and began his power of attorney duties diligently.

"He was often left alone to write cheques and given the ease with which he could write cheques and move money around he decided to feather his own nest."

In 2006, Franklin fled to Thailand where he met a Thai woman half his age, married her and fathered their child, who is now three years old.

Owing to Thai laws about foreigners' investments, Franklin transferred the stolen money into an account in his 32-year-old Thai wife's name.

Mr Castle told the court: "His Thai bride then embarked on a spending and gambling spree and spent the lot of the money in casinos in Bangkok."

According to Mr Castle, Franklin did not believe his actions would affect Mrs Renson as she was living in a nursing home and was having her bills paid.

It was only after her death that he began to realise that, because of his actions, Mrs Renson's relatives would not be able to benefit from inheriting her savings.

Franklin, wearing a blue shirt and yellow tie, sat impassively as his sentence was handed down.

Judge Christopher Critchlow said: "You committed thoroughly mean offences over a period of five years.

"This was a considerable breach of trust and it harms anyone who was associated with you in a professional capacity.

"Because of the gravity of these offences, a very substantial term of imprisonment must follow."

After the hearing on Friday afternoon, Robert Guilfoyle, a senior partner at Guillaumes Solicitors, in Weybridge, Surrey, declined to comment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/cri...es-it-away.html

Owing to Thai laws about foreigners' investments, Franklin transferred the stolen money into an account in his 32-year-old Thai wife's name.

Mr Castle told the court: "His Thai bride then embarked on a spending and gambling spree and spent the lot of the money in casinos in Bangkok."

Shurely shome mishtake on the part of my learned friend?

It would be beautiful poetic justice, if only for the fact that Ms. Renson's relatives will never receive their rightful inheritance. Wow, what a compete fool. His wife too. How could he not know that this would come back to haunt him? I guess he was counting on being able to hide out in Thailand with all that money for the rest of his life, but didn't count on the astounding scope of his wife's gambling habit. Amazing.

So, where are all these casino's in Bangkok then????

So, where are all these casino's in Bangkok then????

I was just about to ask that question you beat me to it

It would be beautiful poetic justice, if only for the fact that Ms. Renson's relatives will never receive their rightful inheritance. Wow, what a compete fool. His wife too. How could he not know that this would come back to haunt him? I guess he was counting on being able to hide out in Thailand with all that money for the rest of his life, but didn't count on the astounding scope of his wife's gambling habit. Amazing.

Of course the relatives will receive every penny due to them. The first £1 million of loss (at least) will fall upon all the honest solicitors who are obliged by law to contribute annually to the Solicitors Compensation Fund. Any remaining deficit will be paid by the firm where the fraudster worked.

Why refer to his wife of three years as his "bride"?

It would be beautiful poetic justice, if only for the fact that Ms. Renson's relatives will never receive their rightful inheritance. Wow, what a compete fool. His wife too. How could he not know that this would come back to haunt him? I guess he was counting on being able to hide out in Thailand with all that money for the rest of his life, but didn't count on the astounding scope of his wife's gambling habit. Amazing.

Of course the relatives will receive every penny due to them. The first £1 million of loss (at least) will fall upon all the honest solicitors who are obliged by law to contribute annually to the Solicitors Compensation Fund. Any remaining deficit will be paid by the firm where the fraudster worked.

Ah.....

No harm, no foul then.

Why refer to his wife of three years as his "bride"?

It is a deroagatory term - Thai bride, mail order bride etc.

So, where are all these casino's in Bangkok then????

I was just about to ask that question you beat me to it

think your find they are referring to underground, illegal casino's of which there are many

Easy come, easy go....

William Franklin, a tax advisor who stole more than £1.8million from an elderly woman, lost most of it when his Thai bride gambled it away in Bangkok.

After the hearing on Friday afternoon, Robert Guilfoyle, a senior partner at Guillaumes Solicitors, in Weybridge, Surrey, declined to comment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/cri...es-it-away.html

I'm sure Mr. Robert Guilfoyle did....

"ROBERT GUILFOYLE

Qualified in 1984. Specialises in Estate and Tax planning particularly in relation to Trust formation which involves often complicated Will arrangements..."

http://www.guillaumes.com/who.htm

I'm sure the family of the elderly woman will have a word with him...

LaoPo

think your find they are referring to underground, illegal casino's of which there are many

I think you'll find the reporters and lawyers don't have the foggiest clue as to whether there are casinos, Las Vegas style or not, in Thailand. It seems far more likely that the woman didn't gamble away $3 million and simply stole it when her husband transferred it to her account and gave him the boot.

Edited September 26, 200916 yr by DP25

How many years did he get? It says it was sentenced but I don't see the punishment.

He also might be lying about everything and have the money safely tucked away somewhere.

think your find they are referring to underground, illegal casino's of which there are many

I think you'll find the reporters and lawyers don't have the foggiest clue as to whether there are casinos, Las Vegas style or not, in Thailand. It seems far more likely that the woman didn't gamble away $3 million and simply stole it when her husband transferred it to her account and gave him the boot.

Of course she didn't. But it sounds good when the convict's barrister serves it up in mitigation. Same as the nonsense about investment laws in Thailand. The criminal was a lawyer and took elementary steps to put the proceeds of his crime beyond the reach of the law and, perhaps, to avoid the imposition of a confiscation order in addition to the prison sentence.

Mr Castle told the court: "His Thai bride then embarked on a spending and gambling spree and spent the lot of the money in casinos in Bangkok."

That's a brilliantly believable way of letting proceeds from a fraud evaporate whilst claiming you have no proof what it was spent on . 

How many years did he get? It says it was sentenced but I don't see the punishment.

Mr. Google is your friend, Hawk

He got 7,5 years:

Jailed: Taxman who stole £1.8 million from pensioner and then lost it to his Thai bride

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...l#ixzz0SFhj4H6g

LaoPo

How many years did he get? It says it was sentenced but I don't see the punishment.

Mr. Google is your friend, Hawk

He got 7,5 years:

Jailed: Taxman who stole £1.8 million from pensioner and then lost it to his Thai bride

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...l#ixzz0SFhj4H6g

LaoPo

Nice pension plan..if the scam comes off you are laughing if sent to jail so what..3 square meals/tv/books no need for an income...

White-collar crime = minimum security prison combined with day release.

7.5 years = out in 3.

Retire to Thailand with the laundered proceeds of his crime stashed in some safety deposit box somewhere.

OMG - why did he return, should have stayed in Thailand - the perfect storm - the lawyers are bonded!

He also might be lying about everything and have the money safely tucked away somewhere.

My thoughts exactly,very easy to do ,not that i would know how.

by the way he isnt the first solicitor who has done it and come here.

Edited September 27, 200916 yr by thaimate

If you can believe this not only did he commit an offence he would never have got away with but he has <deleted> taste in women,.as someone else said, poetic justice,..or the other scenario is that hes a very clever man and was prepared to do time for a hefty pension plan, but i doubt it,.

Edited September 27, 200916 yr by imaneggspurt

He also might be lying about everything and have the money safely tucked away somewhere.

My thoughts exactly,very easy to do ,not that i would know how.

by the way he isnt the first solicitor who has done it and come here.

Completely agree. He's trying to claim no assets so they won't look too hard. It's BS that his wife would have burned through that much money without him knowing about it and without having anything tangible to show for it. When he gets out of jail he's not going to be indigent by any stretch.