Thief Ordered to Hand Back Thousands to Elderly Couple He Betrayed
A crooked man who swiped £125,000 from a retired couple he was meant to help has been forced to pay back more than £21,000 in a court-ordered crackdown.
Trusted Helper Turns Into Money-Stealing Villain
Seth Proctor, 55, from Manston Court Road in Margate, was trusted to manage the couple’s finances after they sold their home in 2011 and moved into a retirement house. But between 2013 and 2015, he stuffed his pockets by dipping into their life savings — cash earmarked for their care.
By January 2015, Proctor had spent it all and had to call Social Services for help covering the costs. He tried to wiggle out by blaming failed business ventures funded with their money. But no one bought it.
Justice Served With Suspended Sentence and Unpaid Work
kent-police/" title="Kent Police" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Kent Police charged Proctor with theft on 6 March 2017. At Canterbury Crown Court, he copped a 20-month suspended prison sentence and was hit with 200 hours of unpaid work in June 2017.
Forced to Pay Back Thousands or Face Jail Time
Detective Inspector Annie Clayton from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate explained the follow-up: “After Proctor’s conviction, we took action to reclaim the cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act. He’d benefited to the tune of £134,876.17 through his crime.”
“Proctor was ordered to pay back £21,666.67 — the full value of his current assets. He has three months to pay or faces a 12-month prison sentence. If we find more assets, we’ll go back to court to get the full amount.”
She added: “The worst part is the trust he broke. The victims were shocked and embarrassed. We want to reassure all victims that Kent Police don’t stop at convictions. We fight to get justice to the very end.”
