Abuse of power of attorney

legal documentsHow can you ensure that safeguards are in place when you give someone the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf? Kerry Morgan-Gould explains what we can learn from a recent case.

There may be a number of reasons why you’d like to make a power of attorney. But in light of the recent case of Frank Willett, a Dunkirk and Normandy veteran who is reported to have been exploited by his neighbour, you may be wondering if you should.

The case

In 2000, Mr Blake moved next door to 78-year-old Frank. Frank quickly began to rely on Mr Blake and his wife to help him with errands such as shopping and doctors' visits. Frank's daughter and her husband lived 300 miles away in South Wales, and were initially content with the support provided by Mr Blake and his wife.

Unfortunately, Mr Blake's intentions were not honourable, and in 2003 Frank, now in his early 80s and suffering from dementia, was taken to a local solicitor to execute an enduring power of attorney (EPA).

The EPA appointed Mr Blake as Frank's attorney and gave Mr Blake control over Frank’s financial affairs. It is also reported that at this time Mr Blake persuaded Frank to make a new will, nominating himself as the main beneficiary.

Within weeks of appointing Mr Blake as his attorney, Mr Blake started to make substantial withdrawals from Frank's bank account. Such large withdrawals were unusual for Frank. Over the years, Frank had been careful with his money and had built up savings of about £60,000. In February 2003, Mr Blake withdrew just short of £9,000 in a single transaction, but because he had provided the bank with a copy of the EPA, the transaction was not questioned. Mr Blake also drew out more money, to pay his own bills.

In 2004, Frank was no longer able to live on his own and moved into a care home. Mr Blake then used the EPA to sell Frank's home.

Initial suspicions

Frank's daughter, Lesley, became suspicious about Mr Blake and his motives and sought to challenge the EPA in court. Unfortunately, at this time, they had no idea that Frank's savings account had been emptied, and they could not prove that Mr Blake was unfit to be Frank's attorney. The judge therefore upheld the EPA but ordered Mr Blake to provide annual accounts, which is more stringent that the usual procedure.

Lesley and her husband made frequent reports to the Public Guardianship Office and the Court of Protection, but were told that everything was satisfactory.

In 2007, Lesley learned that Mr Blake was selling up and moving to France, but most concerning was that Frank's care bills were in arrears. Consequently, in 2008 the new body, the Office for Public Guardian (OPG), investigated and revoked the EPA. Lesley was appointed as a deputy by the court.

It was only once she had been appointed as deputy that Lesley discovered the extent of the misappropriation by Mr Blake. Lesley discovered that all of Frank's money had gone, together with his service medals, her mother's wedding ring and jewellery, and all of the family photographs and documents. Lesley reported matters to the police.

Frank sadly died in 2009. The police pursued Mr Blake, who last month pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison.

What lessons can be learned?

So, what lessons can be learned? First, it’s important to understand that when Frank executed the power of attorney, he executed what is known as an enduring power of attorney (EPA). EPAs were replaced by Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) in October 2007.

EPAs could be prepared and executed with little oversight or scrutiny, and it was only when they came to be registered (once you had lost capacity) that friends and family would be notified and would then have the opportunity to raise any concerns. By this stage, the attorney could have been using the EPA for many years, as the EPA is valid from the moment it is executed, unless you have specified a limitation, for example, that the EPA will not come into operation until you lose mental capacity.

An LPA, in much the same way as an EPA, is a way of appointing someone you trust as your attorney, to give them the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf, in the event that you lose mental capacity at some point in the future, or if you no longer want to make decisions yourself.

There are two types of LPA: an LPA for property and financial decisions, and an LPA for health and care decisions.

One of the main differences between the old-style EPAs and new LPAs is the need for a 'certificate provider'. LPAs as a safeguard require an independent person to confirm that you, as the donor, understand the power and the importance of the LPA, and that you are not under any pressure to make it. A second safeguard is that you can list a number of people to be notified in the event of any application to register the LPA. The LPA, unlike an EPA, can’t be used until it is registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.

Appointing someone to be your attorney is a big decision and shouldn’t be taken lightly. I would recommend that you always have a least two attorneys. You can specify how you want your attorneys to make decisions (either jointly, or jointly or severally), and you can be quite specific in this regard. For example, for practical reasons, you may wish to allow your attorneys to be able to make some decisions on their own, rather than always have joint consent; but for the bigger decisions (such as financial transactions over a certain value), that they have to act jointly, to safeguard against a rogue attorney. 

However, bear in mind that where attorneys are jointly appointed, should an attorney themselves become unable to manage their own affairs due to a loss of mental capacity, or if they were themselves to die, the LPA would come to an immediate end. 

If you have complex financial affairs, it would be prudent to consider having a professional attorney alongside your trusted family member or friend; that way, the burden of managing a complex portfolio of assets is shared with a professional, and you know that the professional will be managing your assets correctly. There is of course an additional cost with having a professional attorney, and this needs to be balanced with the overall value of your assets.

How to raise concerns about an attorney’s conduct

If you have concerns about the conduct of an attorney, a good starting place is the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). The OPG now has much greater investigative powers to intervene, if necessary. You can also report suspicions to the police, and consider making an application direct to the Court of Protection (if you are an interested party) to have the attorney removed. The Court of Protection is being faced with an increasing number of financial abuse claims and is becoming more robust in their handling of them.

Notwithstanding the developments with LPAs and the wider investigative powers of the OPG, there is still a gulf between the requirements of an attorney and that of a court appointed deputy. Many campaigners argue that attorneys should be required to file annual accounts, in the same way that deputies are required to, and there should be similar protection in the form of security bonds to protect donors in the event of abuse.

The former head of the Court of Protection, Denzil Lush, argues that while deputyships are more expensive, he believes it is worth the extra cost to have the safeguards. It remains to be seen whether there will be a change in the law, but I suspect that LPAs will be with us for a long time to come, perhaps with a few tweaks, here and there.

About the author

Kerry Morgan-Gould is a legal director in the disputed wills, trusts and estates team at Ashfords LLP. Kerry advises private individuals, charities and trustees in relation to all matters arising out of contentious wills, trusts and estates. She also advises clients in relation to contentious court of protection matters.

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