Thursday, November 12, 2026
A woman who stole more than £105,000 from her mother’s bank account has been convicted.
Valerie Johnston, 61, forged her mother’s signature on cheques over a period of several months before paying most of the funds into her own bank account, which she then spent solely for her own benefit.
We were first made aware of the offending in 2022, when a member of the victim’s family reported the crime to us.
At the time, Johnston’s elderly mother was living in a dementia care home.
We launched an investigation and interviewed Johnston. Despite a forensic handwriting expert providing evidence that the cheques had been forged, Johnston maintained throughout that only her mother had signed the cheques.
She also claimed her mother had full capacity to do so, despite medical and care records indicating she did not.
Further forensic analysis of Johnston’s mobile phone also revealed she was aware of her mother’s lack of capacity, many months before she forged the cheques.
Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Johnston was charged with fraud by false representation and committed to Preston Crown Court.
On Wednesday (11th November) Johnston, of Ashtrees, Mawdesley, pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in February next year. A confiscation hearing will take place in due course.
Sadly, the victim died in December 2023.