Press release from West Yorkshire Trading Standards and Calderdale Council
Robert Catlow, who previously admitted to defrauding his elderly mother whilst she was residing in a care home has been ordered to pay back £145,045.57 following a Proceeds of Crime application by West Yorkshire Trading Standards. He has also been ordered to pay £52,046.57 in compensation to Calderdale Council so that her outstanding care home fees can be paid as well as £10,000.00 in prosecution costs.
Catlow aged 54 had previously been the subject of a criminal investigation by West Yorkshire Trading Standards on behalf of Calderdale Council. On 29 April 2024, Catlow appeared at Bradford Crown Court and received a two-year sentence suspended for two years and 30 rehabilitation days after pleading guilty to charges relating to abusing his position of trust as legal power of attorney and defrauding his mother out of a substantial amount of money.
His offending against his elderly mother spanned over five years, beginning in 2016 and finally ending in 2021. The West Yorkshire Financial Exploitation and Abuse Team (WYFEAT) within Trading Standards received a referral sharing concerns in May 2021 relating to possible financial abuse by Robert Catlow in relation to his elderly mother who was residing in a care home due to multiple health reasons.
At the time, Catlow was acting as a Lasting Power of Attorney, governed by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), for his mother who was unable to manage her own finances and therefore he was in a position of trust.
Financial enquiries were conducted, and it was established that Catlow was using his mother’s funds for his own business and to run his home. During the offending period, Catlow continually failed to engage with financial processes and lied to authorities about his mother’s financial situation. He also failed to visit his mother in the care home and provide toiletries and other items that she may have needed or wanted and therefore the care home had to rely on donations.
Cllr Silvia Dacre, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, said:
“This was a terrible abuse of trust by the person who should have cared most for this vulnerable lady. The consequences for Robert Catlow show how seriously public agencies take this offence. Fraud can have a huge impact on people, causing both emotional trauma and financial hardship. With our partners we will do everything we can to hold those responsible to account and provide justice to victims.”
Linda Davis, Head of Trading Standards, Protecting Communities and WYFEAT said:
“Robert Catlow was in a significant position of trust, and he abused that position, using his mother’s money to finance his own lifestyle and business and leaving her without money for anything such as personal care items. The Proceeds of Crime Act allows us to recoup a criminal’s benefit from crime through confiscation orders and we will pursue and recover assets of those involved in this type of offending.”