Callous fraudster stole from vulnerable couple

A woman stole almost £1 million from an elderly couple who considered her a trusted family friend. Susan Bruland ran her own bookkeeping business and had been a longstanding friend of Janet and Michael Rumke. The couple had granted her Lasting Power of Attorney over their financial affairs. However, she betrayed their trust by transferring a total of £901,498.23 from their bank accounts into accounts she controlled, for her own personal use.

The transfers began on 27 July 2022, when £19,200 was moved from the couple’s joint account to Bruland’s personal account, with the same amount transferred again just a few days later. Then, in September 2022, £18,000 was transferred from one of the couple’s accounts to Bruland’s. This was followed by numerous further transfers until 30 December 2022, at which point the victims’ account was virtually empty.

Once the accounts ran dry, Bruland continued her fraud by liquidating several of the couple’s assets, including shares they held. During this time, however, she failed to meet the cost of their care, leaving a care home owed a substantial amount of money.

Between April and June 2023, Bruland continued to steal from the couple, sending £44,978 to unknown recipients as part of a cryptocurrency investment she had started in March 2023, again using her victims’ money.

An investigation by Thames Valley Police’s Central Fraud Unit began in 2023 after suspicions were raised about unusually large transactions in the elderly couple’s bank accounts. The investigation revealed that the transactions were made by Bruland.

Bruland was sentenced to five years in prison at Oxford Crown Court for two counts of fraud by abuse of position, showing that what she had done was at the top of the scale for fraud offences.

Commenting on the case, Roger Isaacs, National Technical Director of NIFA said: “This case highlights the impact that abuse of power can have on vulnerable individuals and their families. We often encounter cases where those granted Lasting Power of Attorney exploit their position, which is why it is recommended that it is good practice to appoint at least one professional independent attorney and to require an annual audit of the attorney’s accounts.”

Sources: BBC News

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