CONTROLLING' COUPLE WHO LEFT ELDERLY PARENTS WITH JUST 28P LAUNCH APPEAL AGAINST CONVICTION
A 'controlling' husband and wife who swindled their vulnerable family out of over £100,000 — leaving them with just 28p — have launched a bid to have their sentences overturned.Gary and Diane Mansell were convicted of defrauding and money laundering at Liverpool Crown Court in November 2023 and received six-year jail sentences.
The couple, who lived in Woolton, Liverpool, and were aged 61 and 58 when jailed, are appealing their conviction and sentence.
They had taken control of elderly parents, Fred and Enid, after Fred suffered a serious fall and Enid had dementia, during which they sold the family home for a lower price, used the money to upgrade their home, exerted control, confined the elderly, fed them on ready meals, and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle funded by the stolen money.
The prosecution estimated around £218,000 was siphoned off, though they ultimately claimed £117,000 as the extent of the fraud.
The court was told Diane drove a gold BMW with a personalized number plate and amassed expensive handbags, while Gary had health issues likely to worsen in prison.
Judge Swinnerton condemned their acts as a "despicable display of greed and vanity" and noted their actions had destroyed their family.
The couple are due to appear before the Court of Appeal to challenge both their conviction and six-year sentence, with legal teams needing to demonstrate that the convictions were unsafe due to legal errors or new evidence.
