Britain's curtain-twitcher detectives: BBC podcast reveals how couple raised alarm over neighbour after 'solicitor' took control of her money when she fell ill A couple who became suspicious when a neighbour they'd known for decades 'vanished overnight' and her home was later cleared and sold - at a 'knock down price' - have been praised for sparking an investigation into increasing concerns over power of attorney legislation.
She agreed he could have Power of Attorney over her estate - and was devastated to find out her home had later been sold and a lifetime of possessions reduced to just a few bin bags] A real-time investigation into how elderly and vulnerable people are not properly protected by loopholes in Lasting Power of Attorney legislation is the subject of a BBC podcast currently being aired on Radio 4.
The concerning opening episode of the series, The Doorstep Stranger, reveals how Carole, a single lady in her sixties, 'disappeared' from her home in Uxbridge, Hertfordshire - and later lost the property she'd lived in happily for years after she signed over her wealth to Hiller via an LPA.
Ron Hiller, who isn't a qualified solicitor despite being listed as a partner in his Essex law firm, could currently have, the BBC estimates, power of attorney for more than hundred people via his company, Craybeck Law.
Shadow World: The Willpower Detectives has uncovered multiple stories involving people signing over their worldly wealth to a stranger, often because they have little or no family.
