A niece who swindled her elderly relatives out of their £150,000 life savings to fund her luxury lifestyle has been ordered to pay £1.
Lucy Paginton, 28, from Newport, South Wales, targeted her uncle Frank Hillier, 88, and aunt Mary, 90, who raised her ‘like a daughter’ from the age of two.
Addressing Cardiff Crown Court, prosecutor Thomas Stanway said: ‘They spoiled her while she was growing up, lavishing her with gifts, leasing cars for her and taking her on holiday.’
In return, Paginton, of Cot Farm Circle, secretly spent their money on luxury holidays, five star hotel trips and designer clothes.
Her lavish spending included visits to the five-star Celtic Manor resort in Newport and trips to high street designer shop Flannels.
The mother-of-one was sentenced to four years and eight months in January after pleading guilty to seven counts of fraud by false representation.
A Proceeds of Crime hearing was told she benefited £150,555 as a result of her offending but has no available assets.
Judge Simon Mills ordered her to pay a nominal sum of £1 within 28 days.
Lucy Paginton siphoned £150,000 from Frank and Mary Hillier’s live savings
The mother-of-one was sentenced to four years and eight months in January at Cardiff Crown Court (pictured) after pleading guilty to seven counts of fraud by false representation
Paginton first betrayed her doting relatives at the age of 20 when she asked them to help her buy a house in 2017.
‘A plan was agreed that they would pay the deposits for two properties,’ Mr Stanway told the court. ‘Paginton would live in one house and her aunt and uncle in the other.
‘The property the Hilliers lived in would then pass over to her after they had died.’
But instead of buying this property, Paginton pocketed the deposit money and forged Halifax bank documents and faked correspondence from Redrow housebuilders as well as a conveyancing firm.
Mr Stanway said: ‘When one considers Miss Paginton’s bank statements one can see that in effect the payments were simply made to fund her lifestyle.
‘There were visits to the Celtic Manor Resort, payments to Flannels, a high-end designer clothing shop.
‘There were also payments to various travel companies noted within her bank statements.’
In a victim impact statement, Mrs Hillier described the feeling of being betrayed by a loved one. She said: ‘Every night going to bed I find it difficult to sleep and we’re constantly worried about the case, the stress of it all has made us unwell.
Paginton’s lavish spending included trips to the five-star Celtic Manor Resort
A one-night stay at Celtic Manor Resort can cost thousands of pounds
‘It hurts because she lied to us and we showed her so much love, gave her holidays, money and she never went without,’ Mrs Hillier continued.
‘We were willing to buy her a house but she decided to steal from us instead. It’s affected my mental health and my husband’s physical and mental health.’
Mrs Hillier went on to add that the couple have been left ‘unable to move on’ as a result of their niece’s fraud.
‘We have lost everything we have worked hard for and family have distanced themselves from us.’
However, even after having their lives ruined by this callous deception, the elderly couple maintain that they still love their niece.
Mrs Hillier said: ‘We couldn’t let her get away with this and can’t believe she did this. We still love the defendant but she hurt us and broke our trust.
‘We hope to get justice from this case and make Lucy realise the consequences of her actions.’
During Paginton’s sentencing in January, Judge Carl Harrison told her: ‘Your victims thought highly of you, they trusted you and they loved you.
‘It was that love and trust that led them to falling victim to your repeated dishonest behaviour.
‘For four years you cynically and repeatedly abused the trust that Frank and Mary Hillier placed in you to enrich yourself and defraud them.
‘They described it as being a living hell. They are an elderly couple who should be looking forward to their future. Their lives have been ruined by your selfish actions.’
