A man embezzled more than £120,000 from his seriously ill girlfriend and secretly married another woman at a “plush hotel”, a court has heard. William Dunn allegedly took cash from Lynda Grant’s accounts while she suffered from life-threatening conditions - then wed Karen Dolan without her knowledge.
Nurse Lynda, who worked at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, spent around two years in hospital and a care home. She suffered a series of complicated health issues and a brain injury, a jury was told.
Prosecutors claim Dunn, 69, pocketed the money after being granted Power of Attorney over Lynda, 63. He denies embezzling £122,027.15 between May 26, 2015, and March 1, 2017, “while holding the positions of Continuing Attorney and Welfare Attorney” over Lynda.
The court heard Lynda had moved in with Dunn at his home in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, and that they planned to spend the rest of their lives together.
The jury at Paisley Sheriff Court heard that she told her children to make sure Dunn was “okay” for money if she died, suggesting giving him £40,000. But the court heard he got married to another woman at “lovely, plush hotel”, leaving Lynda and her adult children shocked.
Her daughter Gillian McCormick, 36, revealed they discovered the new romance on Hogmanay 2016, after her mum had left the care home.
The cafe owner told the court: “I found a photo on Facebook on New Year’s Eve of all days - a photo of William with his bride. They were standing beside the cake in a very lovely, plush hotel.”
Advocate Joseph Barr, defending, told Lynda that Dunn claims he had a discussion with her and her son about “minimising” her assets and avoiding care home costs. Dunn also claims he invested money on her behalf, the court was told.
However Lynda claimed to have no recollection of the conversation or signing the Power of Attorney document, which allowed him to control her finances.
She said: “I don’t remember that. I wouldn’t have wanted an investment - I don’t do things like that. I’m not dishonest, I wouldn’t cheat anyone out of anything, if I found a fiver I’d hand it in to the police station.”
The witness told prosecutor David McDonald that when she started feeling better she looked at her accounts for the first time in months and noticed then that most of her money had disappeared.
Lynda told the court: “I’m skint now. I can’t remember an exact figure [of how much was left in my accounts when I came out of the care home], it was probably a few hundred. The money that I should’ve had from the sale of my house and my savings, that was gone.”
And when asked by Mr McDonald if she had spoken about reducing her assets and avoiding care home fees, she said: “I’d never have done that. I have no recollection of any conversation about that.”
The trial, before Sheriff Bruce Erroch QC, continues.
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