A mum who helped to defraud a family out of their home was controlled by her police officer ex, a court has been told.
Emma Yankey, 44, has admitted three charges of fraud relating to depriving her former partner Brian Yankey's family out of a home they had owned for decades. Yankey, of Merseyside, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday for sentencing.
The Liverpool Echo reports that the house was sold to Brian Yankey in 2012 and transferred to Emma in April of the following year. She then took out a fraudulent loan application under the name Emma Norman before selling the house for £196,000 in 2014.
The fraud was uncovered when one of the parties involved in the sale contacted the police. Graham Pickavance, prosecuting, told the court: "This was a complicated investigation with a phenomenal paper trail which was uncovered due to the diligence of one police officer."
Mr Pickavance said Yankey had previously appeared in court in 2021 after admitting to a £46,000 scheme which saw her take money from families for deposits on Cyprus holidays which never happened. She received a two-year suspended sentence for the crimes.
Although the documents were in her name, the court was told that Emma was acting as a "subordinate" to her partner, who was subjecting her to physical, sexual and psychological abuse. David Prowse, defending, said she accepted her role in the crime but had acted at the behest of Brian, who was a serving Metropolitan Police officer at the time.
Mr Prowse said: "The impact on this woman was enormous due to being subjected to that level of abuse." He added that Yankey had five children who all relied on her greatly due to their complex needs.
He urged the court to show leniency to Emma as she played a "vital role" in her children's lives - and their lives would suffer a "catastrophic impact" if she was jailed. He added: "She is the only person who can provide the care for the children all together."
Recorder Daniel Lister, presiding, accepted Brian's role in the fraud. He said: "The real harm caused by the fraud is the loss of the family home and the family inheritance from under their feet."
He noted that four siblings had lost their inheritance, while their mum Elfreda witnessed the loss of everything she had worked for. He added Elfreda had died with the fraud hanging over her head.
Addressing Emma Yankey, he added: "It's clear you were subjected to controlling, coercively and at times violent behaviour. It is clear Brian Yankey was the leading mind in this criminality."
He sentenced her to 20 months imprisonment suspended for 20 months. He also ordered her to complete 15 rehabilitation days and carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.
Yankey will return to court for a further hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act later this year.
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