Emma Charlotte Amey used cheques and debit cards to steal £11,568 from two elderly men while working in a law firm’s probate department
Emma Charlotte Amey, a 45-year-old paralegal from Poole, has been jailed for 20 months after admitting to stealing over £11,500 from two elderly male clients whose finances she was trusted to manage.
The thefts occurred between October 2021 and October 2023 while Amey worked in the wills and probate department at a law firm in Poole. The firm held power of attorney over the men’s affairs, meaning Amey was authorised to pay their expenses using cheques or debit cards. Instead, she diverted funds for her own benefit.
The deception unravelled in February 2024, when a suspicious cheque was flagged by the bank and returned to the firm. Upon closer inspection, staff discovered that the cheque stub had been marked as payment to a care company—yet the cheque itself, worth £3,400, was made payable to Amey.
Confronted by her employers, Amey admitted she had altered cheques after they had been signed by another authorised staff member. She used an erasable pen to fill in the payee details, and once the signature was secured, she erased the original recipient and wrote her own name instead.
But that was not the full extent of her deceit.
Amey also confessed to using debit cards belonging to the two victims to withdraw cash and make online purchases. In total, her calculated scheme netted £11,568.
Her victims were both residents of care homes and entirely dependent on the law firm’s responsible management of their money. Amey’s role required a high level of trust and ethical conduct—both of which she flagrantly disregarded.
Embed from Getty ImagesShe was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on July 11, where the judge condemned her actions as “despicable and contrived.” The court heard how Amey deliberately manipulated legal and financial systems designed to protect vulnerable people.
Detective Constable Lucy Hale, from Dorset Police’s Economic Crime Unit, led the investigation and said Amey’s betrayal of trust struck at the very heart of the legal profession.
“Emma Amey was entrusted with looking after the day-to-day finances of vulnerable individuals, and she abused that position for personal gain,” Hale said. “She made deliberate attempts to cover her tracks. This type of crime erodes public trust in the power of attorney scheme.”
Hale added that she was pleased justice had been served. “We are committed to investigating reports such as this to ensure that fraudsters are held to account. I hope this outcome sends a clear message to others who might consider exploiting positions of trust.”
The victims’ identities have not been made public to protect their privacy, but the law firm involved has reportedly issued apologies to the families and taken steps to tighten its internal procedures.
Amey, who lived at Honeysuckle Lane in Poole, has not previously been named in court for any offences. Her guilty plea to two counts of fraud by abuse of position was entered on May 14 at Poole Magistrates’ Court.
She will now serve her sentence in prison, a fall from grace for a woman once tasked with protecting the financial dignity of those unable to protect themselves.
