Evil couple 'shut elderly parents away' and swindled £117k to pay for fancy holidays and designer bags

A husband and wife who 'dreamt of being millionaires' have been jailed after defrauding his parents and leaving them with just 28p.

Gary Mansell, 61, and his wife Diane, 58, swindled £117k from his vulnerable mum and dad over a period of three-and-a-half years while acting as their power of attorney.

They kept the elderly couple shut away and 'controlled' whilst they spent the money on the money on fancy holidays, designer bags and house improvements.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how Fred and Enid Mansell moved out of their family home on Stonyhurst Road, Woolton, in October 2017. Fred had recently been discharged from hospital after a serious fall and was undergoing rehabilitation, while Enid had dementia.

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The pair, who had lived in the house since 1965, owned it and had considerable equity in it. The pair also owned two cars and had a healthy amount of cash in the bank due to their state and work pensions which brought in up to £2,700 each month. Diane and Gary Mansell were appointed as Fred and Enid's power of attorney due to the pair's age and vulnerabilities, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Charlotte Atherton, prosecuting, told the court: "Enid was entirely reliant on the defendants protecting her interests", while Fred's efforts were focussed on looking after his vulnerable wife. The elderly pair had nowhere else to go so moved in with Gary and Diane and the house was put up for sale.

However, once they were in the position of power of attorney Diane and Gary sold the house for £150,000 - considerably under the