Edinburgh man found guilty of embezzling money from elderly woman
An Edinburgh man has been found guilty of embezzlement of £170,000 from an elderly woman both prior to and after her death
An Edinburgh man has been found guilty of embezzlement after a three week long trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
57-year-old Gordon Crouch has been convicted of embezzling £170,000 from Marjorie Stewart, both before ad after her death in September 2013, whilst acting as her independent financial advisor.
He was also her power of attorney and executor of her will.
An investigation was launched in 2016 after Mrs Stewart’s family raised concerns about Mr Couch’s conduct including the misappropriation of funds.
Mr Couch had by this time moved to Hong Kong and officers began efforts to secure his return to the UK to face charges. He was finally arrested in 2019 after returning to the UK.
Detective Sergeant Craig Potter said: “This was a complex case covering a large number of years where the power and control afforded to one person was able to be abused.
“Marjorie Stewart’s family were key to uncovering the misappropriation and have shown exemplary conduct throughout the long wait for the case to come to court. Hopefully all the witnesses are afforded some closure by today’s verdict.”
Mr Crouch will be sentenced at a later date.