A man will be sentenced next month for stealing from his mother.

Derek Moffitt, 70, of The Avenue, Kennington, pleaded guilty on a basis at an earlier hearing to two counts of fraud by abuse of position of trust.

He had power of attorney over his mother’s affairs when he stole from her.

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On Monday, prosecutor Efstathios Divaris confirmed that Moffitt’s basis of plea, entered by his lawyers, was acceptable to the Crown Prosecution Service. Two other allegations of fraud, which were denied, were not going to be tried by the Crown.

Nawaz Khan, defending, asked the judge to order a pre-sentence report from the probation service.

“Why?” Judge Michael Gledhill QC replied. Mr Khan said Moffitt had some health issues and, although the offences he faced were serious and the starting point was a custodial sentence, ‘it would benefit the court’ to have more information about him in a probation report.

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Adjourning sentence until June 20, the judge ordered a pre-sentence report and bailed him with conditions to live and sleep at his home in Kennington and co-operate with the probation service.

The charge that Moffitt faces, fraud by abuse of position, carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. However, sentences can vary widely depending on the value of the fraud and the blameworthiness of the defendant.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward