WHEN elderly couple Kathleen and Desmond Moyle met bus driver John Harris, they thought they’d found a new friend.
But in reality, the childless couple had met a scammer who planned to gain power of attorney over them and defraud them out of £351,481 by forging their wills.
Kathleen and Desmond lived in a village in Cornwall, far away from their family, when the bus driver swindler befriended them.
Their niece, Rebecca Creed, often heard them discussing their new pal John in a positive way when she spoke to them on the phone or saw them at family gatherings.
“Their family was everything to me and they lived for each other,” she tells.
“In my younger years, we saw them at Christmas and family gatherings.
“We saw them less frequently as we grew up and we all had our families, but we still kept in touch.”
John would often complete errands for the elderly couple and drive them to places.
So, when Kathleen and Desmond created wills in 2015 through a solicitor, they wanted to repay his kindness.
They named John Harris as one of the executors, and left 25% of their estate to him along with other family members.
However, after her uncle Desmond passed away in 2017, Rebecca’s late cousin Alan Tucker noticed discrepancies with the will.
Namely, a whopping 95% of Desmond’s assets had been given to con man John.
“Alan knew that was wrong,” Rebecca reveals on This Morning.
“He reached out through a solicitor to try and challenge that, but sadly he never got anywhere.”
Alan reached out to Rebecca’s parents in regards to the discrepancy so that they were aware.
When Kathleen sadly passed away shortly after in 2018, Rebecca’s parents believed they were to receive some money.
BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam:
When they didn’t, they reached out to a solicitor.
The solicitor discovered that the will pack had an earlier date compared to the signature provided by Kathleen.
The family notified the police in late 2018 as they were concerned when they couldn’t reach John to deal with the estate.
Through the police investigation, detectives uncovered that he had personally created altered wills for the victims in 2016, assigning the majority of their estates to himself.
“It has now been proved that was not her signature,” Rebecca says.
“And there were two drug addicts that witnessed this signature.”
Cops also discovered that he had milked Kathleen’s bank account with transfers totalling £265,000 and £30,000 worth of cash after being granted power of attorney while she was alive.
A court heard in July that John paid two homeless men £20 each to sign forged handwritten wills.
He had met them both whilst a bus driver in Falmouth, and had been ferrying them around to sell the Big Issue.
John had imitated new wills with forged signatures to award him the majority of Kathleen and Desmond’s estates.
In September this year, Harris was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for forging the wills.
“It was quite harrowing to listen to,” Rebecca recalls about the court case.
Det Con Isabelle Woodall, the investigating officer, said that Harris “exploited the most vulnerable in society for his own financial gain”.
“The victims in this case had no children and lived remotely, had no way of knowing that the man that they believed to be a devoted friend, was motivated by greed,” she said.
“Having identified their vulnerabilities and earned their trust Harris contrived to syphon off their assets, netting what remained following their deaths, despite safeguarding measures which should have protected them.”
ALISON Hammond has revealed her teenage soon Aiden gives her advice on her relationship to her toyboy lover.
The This Morning presenter has shared an insight into her relationship with 26-year-old David Putman.
Earlier this year it was revealed the pair were dating as they enjoyed weekend days out together.
And now Alison, 49, has revealed Aiden, 19, has been offering her advice when it comes to love.
The star appeared with her son on Romesh Ranganathan‘s Parents Evening, which airs on ITV1 this weekend.
When the pair were asked who is best at giving advice, Alison replied: “When it comes to relationship advice you’re very good!”
She added: “But when it comes to career advice I’m not sure!”
Birmingham native Alison also said she’s loose lipped when it comes to her life.
“Yeah maybe I overshare a little bit. I’ll probably overshare in the show,” she joked.
Meanwhile, Alison previously said that Aiden had approved of her seeing David.
She explained: “Normally Aidan HATES anybody I date.”
Alison’s boyfriend David works as a dancer and model but studied body therapy at uni.
He says he can help with “classic, lymphatic drainage, anti-cellulite, wraps, facial massage”.
Alison was previously engaged to cab driver Noureddine Boufaied, but claimed she “wasn’t ready for marriage at the time.”
SHE graces our televisions every Friday, as she co-hosts This Morning with Dermot O'Leary.
But just how did Alison Hammond first find fame?
2002 – Alison competed in Big Brother, and was the second housemate to be evicted . She won over viewers with moments such as when she broke the table in the garden by jumping up and down on it.
It was this year that she also started presenting for This Morning in a guest capacity.
2003 – Alison had a small acting role on TV drama Doctors.
2004 – This was the year that Alison returned to reality television, starring in shows including Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Stars in their Eyes – for which she performed as Nina Simone.
2010 – After several years of presenting gigs and reality show appearances, Alison was signed up to appear on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! She came in 10th place.
2014 – This was a busy year for Alison as she competed on both Celebrity Masterchef and Strictly Come Dancing, coming in 10th in the latter.
2020 – Alison appeared on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off – her first, but not last, time in the famous tent.
2021 – Alison co-hosted This Morning for three episodes alongside Phillip Schofield.
It was later announced that Alison and Dermot would be replacing Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford as presenters of This Morning on a Friday.
2023 – Alison was announced as the new co-host of The Great British Bake Off, replacing Matt Lucas to present alongside Noel Fielding.
2024 – Following the death of Paul O’Grady, Alison stepped in as host of For The Love of Dogs.
2025 – An eight-part series titled Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend will premiere on BBC one next year, as she spends 48 hours with a celebrity in a bid to really get to know them.
DARTS stars got together to dress up as a cult hero ahead of his final Players Championship.
A group of famous throwers honoured ‘Bronzed Adonis’ Steve Beaton before his final time at the oche in the Players Championship.
Beaton, 60, became famous for his unmistakable style when he was in his hay day in the 2000s – sporting a sensational mullet and mustache.
While he was also well known for his bronzed skin, earning him his iconic nickname.
Although the icon has since denied that he ever got a perm or used a sunbed.
With Beaton now on the brink of his retirement, his colleagues and opponents all got together to celebrate his career by dressing up as him.
Stars such as Chris Dobey and Nathan Aspinall all donned a curly wig, shiny white shirts and faux mustaches to give their best Beaton impression.
While they also presented Beaton with custom “Bronzed Adonis” shirt signed by each of them.
Dobey shared a snap of them all posing together to his social media, alongside the caption: “What else could we do to celebrate the career of a legend?”
Fans absolutely loved the tribute and reacted themselves online.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
One wrote: “Hahaha tremendous!! What a legend though!! Happy retirement The Bronzed Adonis”.
While another added: “That’s class. What a legend of the game”.
A third joked: “Will the real Steve Beaton please stand up?”
And a fourth pleaded: ” Please keep these on for the games hahaha”.
But the fluffy hair and bushy taches covered much of the star’s faces, leaving some fans scratching their head as to who was in the picture.
How many can you name?
Here's a list of every darts star in the picture from left to right...
A PRISON worker has pleaded guilty to having an “inappropriate relationship” with Zara Aleena’s killer.
Hayley Jones embarked on a month-long fling with Jordan McSweeney, 31, after growing close to him at HMP Belmarsh.
The 33-year-old appeared at Woolwich Crown Court today where she admitted misconduct in a public office.
McSweeney was due to appear but officers at HMP Long Lartin told the court that he was “having difficulty with walking”.
He is accused of encouraging or assisting the commission of an indictable offence.
McSweeney – serving a life sentence for murdering Zara – has not yet entered a plea to the charge.
He and Jones were in a relationship between March 6, 2023, and April 7, 2023.
Jones, from Strood in Kent, was arrested in April last year after police received an allegation of inappropriate conduct.
She was also suspended from her role as a workshop instructor at Britain’s most secure jail after the claim came to light.
McSweeney had been released from a prison sentence just nine days before he pounced on Zara, 35, as she walked home.
His licence had been revoked after failing to meet probation officers but he was not recalled to prison.
This meant the predator was free to roam the streets hunting for a victim.
On the night of Zara’s murder, McSweeney was captured on CCTV stalking the streets of East London.
At least four other women managed to escape the killer’s clutches as he followed them in the darkness.
One even ran for safety into a home on the same street were Zara was brutally murdered.
After setting his sights on Zara, a law graduate, McSweeney dragged her into a driveway where he repeatedly kicked and stamped on her.
Zara was discovered partially clothed and struggling to breathe by horrified neighbours who heard her screams.
The aspiring lawyer had just started working at the Royal Courts of Justice when she was killed in June 2022.
A post-mortem gave her cause of death as blunt force trauma injury and neck compression.
McSweeney was jailed for life with a minimum of 38 years in December of that year after admitting murder and sexual assault.
This was later reduced to 33 years following a successful appeal at the Court of Appeal.
SHOPPERS are distraught after the New York Bakery Co has confirmed it has discontinued one if it’s most popular bagel flavours.
The blueberry bagel was first available to buy in stores from April 15, but it was only ever a limited edition item.
A spokesperson for New York Baker Co told The Sun: “The Limited Edition run of our Blueberry Bagels has come to an end, but we are pleased to announce the arrival of our latest flavour: Sweet Maple Bagels.
“Featuring a delicious blend of rich maple and cinnamon, these bagels offer a unique, seasonal bagel twist that customers are sure to enjoy.
“Available for a limited time only – be sure to try them while stocks last.”
However, fans have expressed their disappointment that the Blueberry Bagels will no longer be stocked on supermarket shelves.
Commenting on the New York Bagel Co Instagram page, one person commented: “My local Asda and Morrisons stopped stocking them. They have some maple flavour instead. Please bring the blueberry bagels back and make them permanent.”
Another said: “These are insane! Gutted they were only limited edition!”
Someone else added: “My local Morrisons have stopped stocking these and I miss them so much!!”
In response, the New York Bagel Co commented: “We’ll let the team know you’d like to see them return!”
Another customer commented: “Please bring back the blueberry bagels and make them permanent. Local Morrisons and Asda stopped selling them, I loved them, was having them every day for breakfast.”
The new sweet maple flavoured bagels are available to buy in Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose for £2.10.
You can find out where your nearest Tesco is by using the store locator tool on the website.
As per, we suggest shopping around to make sure you are getting the best deal.
You can use price comparison sites such as Google Shopping and Trolley.co.uk to compare the prices of items across different retailers.
We had also had a look around to see what alternative flavours might tempt your tastebuds.
New York Bakery Co sells cinnamon and raisin bagels for between £1.25 at Asda and £2 at Waitrose.
Red onion and chive flavour is available at Asda for £1.25, £1.89 and Morrisons and £1.90 at Waitrose.
Plus, if you’re feeling adventerous, there is even a cookies n’ cream flavour on shelves at Asda for £1.25, Morrisons at £1.89 or Sainsbury’s at £1.90.
We recently put supermarket own-brand bagels to the test to see if there was one that beat New York Bagel Company on taste and price.
We found that if you were to swap the branded bagels for the winner in your weekly grocery shop, you’d slash £20 off your grocery bill.
Plus, we revealed that the manufacturer had cut its supermarket bagels from 90g each to 85g while keeping their price the same.
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.