A GREEDY husband and wife starved their live-in landlord to death in order to inherit a third of his £3.5 million estate after his will was forged, a jury heard today.
Banbury couple Lynda and Wayne Rickard moved into a multi-million pound farmhouse near South Newington owned by James ‘Anthony’ Sootheran in 2006.
With 62-year-old Lynda as the driving force, they planned to plunder his estate and that of his elderly mother Joy, a court heard.
Mother-of-three Rickard had previously admitted forging the will of Mrs Sootheran - where she was set to gain half of her almost £1.5 million estate.
Similarly, she admitted forging the will of Mrs Sootherans’s only son Anthony to inherit a third of his £3.5m estate.
The trial began yesterday at Reading Crown Court.
Opening the proceedings, prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC told the jury: “This is a case about greed. Casual, opportunistic greed.
“In simple terms, assisted by her husband, Lynda Rickard starved Anthony Sootheran to death thereby satisfying her greed and securing for herself and her family the windfall she craved.
Neglect
“In short, for their own gain, they killed him – by isolating him, neglecting him, failing to obtain appropriate medical help for him and depriving him of food and drink.”
Lynda Rickard, 62, and Wayne Rickard, 66, of Edinburgh Close, deny a charge of murder.
Mrs Rickard also denies gross negligence manslaughter while her husband denies causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult.
However, the jury also heard that 'controlling' Lynda found the perfect victim in 59-year-old Mr Sootheran.
The prosecutor said: “Anthony Sootheran was someone with complex mental health issues.
"A recluse, prone to gross self-neglect which of course gave Lynda Rickard the perfect cover for precipitating his death.”
Yesterday the jury were warned of the distressing images they will witness, over the course of the trial, of the skeleton-like body of Mr Sootheran lying dead with a 'particularly nasty bed sore'.
The court heard that Mr and Mrs Rickard moved into High Havens farmhouse in South Newington, owned by Mr Sootheran, in late 2006 with the deal being Lynda would become a carer for his elderly mother
Joy Sootheran, who had dementia, died in August 2012.
Mr Saxby said the defendant admitted forging their wills and using tens of thousands of pounds of their money as her own.
In total, the Rickards were set to gain almost £3.5 million considering the estimated £300,000 stolen from both of the Sootherans’ accounts, half of Mrs Sootheran’s will, a third of Mr Sootheran’s estate and the sale of High Havens farm for £1.8million in 2018.
Standing alongside the Rickards in the dock were friends Shanda Robinson, 51, of Banbury, Denise Neal, 41, of Warwickshire, and 49-year-old Michael Dunkley, of Bloxham, who were all alleged to have become 'embroiled in her dishonesty'. They deny fraudulently signing wills knowing that they were forged.
Mr Rickard denies a charge of perverting the course of justice by attempting to pass off a will as genuine while Ms Robinson denies conspiring to do the same.
The Rickards also deny a charge of fraudulently using Ms Sootheran’s money to buy a Mitsubishi Shogun car.
A sixth accused person, June Alsford, 78, previously admitted signing Joy Sootheran’s will knowing it was not genuine, the court heard.
The trial continues.
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