A WOMAN defrauded her sick uncle out of £200k making him live in a squalid basement with dogs.
Pamela Urvoy, 55, was put behind bars for four years on Friday for conning the 84-year-old who she was supposed to be caring for.
Michael Urvoy had suffered a serious stroke in 2008 meaning he was no longer able to live independently, the court was told.
As a result, it was agreed among family members that Pamela would move into her uncle’s home in Padiham, Lancashire to take care of him.
From a position of trust, she used over £200k of his money to buy a house in Blackburn, with land and stables, solely in her name.
This was despite assuring Mr Urvoy that both their names would be on the deeds and they would share ownership of the house.
According to MailOnline, he was not permitted to live upstairs or dine with the rest of the family, while he was also left “unkempt and unwashed” and left in the basement for hours.
Alex Bennie, prosecuting, told the court that the plan was for Urvoy to “have more living space for his proper care” while Pamela would have space for the “horses she had as part of her business”.
“Once they moved in, Urvoy and her partner demoted her uncle’s living space to a sparsely furnished basement where they also kept dogs, despite his age and vulnerability,” he said.
A care home matron visited the property in 2017 and was shocked when she saw the conditions Mr Urvoy was living in and was brought to tears at the sight of him.
Lancashire Police also said that “the victim was sleeping in a cellar basement room, ill cared for which caused serious concerns to social services”.
He was put into care following an investigation but sadly passed away in March 2024.
Social services had also launched an investigation in August 2018 after Mr Urvoy was put in a care home and there was confusion over who was overseeing his finances.
It revealed that in October 2013, £203,000 was transferred from his bank account to the solicitors for the purchase of the Blackburn property – the payment reference was “Mrs Pamela”.
It was also discovered that his bank account was consistently overdrawn despite £550 being paid in every month.
Pamela had initially claimed that the majority of the £203,000 was inheritance but then said her uncle had gifted her the money when she was asked for evidence.
Urvoy was charged with two counts of fraud by false representation and sentenced to four years in prison at Preston Crown Court on November 14.
DC Jo Billington, from the Lancashire Constabulary East Division, said: “Through no fault of his own the victim in this case found himself in a position where he was unable to independently look after himself or his finances.
“He then put his faith in a person he should have been able to trust – his niece Pamela Urvoy.
“Under the rouse of playing the doting and caring niece, Urvoy concocted a web of lies to defraud her elderly and sick uncle out of his life savings. She then attempted to con those responsible for facilitating the house purchase.
“Having worked to ensure his later years in life would be comfortable financially, it must have come as a great shock to find out that all of his money had gone. And the person responsible for doing that was a family member.
“Despite the evidential difficulties of the victim having died, the passage of time we will endeavour to seek truth and get justice for the victim.”
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is due to take place at a later date to determine the exact amount Urvoy benefitted from, the force added.
They said any assets she has will be seized in order to ensure she does not benefit financially from her criminality.
