Despicable Care Home Owner Jailed for 17 Years After Stealing £4m from Weakened Residents

A crooked care home owner who stole around £4m from wealthy residents at his luxurious nursing home by exploiting their vulnerabilities, including isolating them from their families and manipulating them with false claims of "magic spells," has been jailed for 17 years. David Barton, who lived a life of luxury with flash cars and a portfolio of 19 properties, targeted elderly and vulnerable residents at his Barton Park Nursing Home in Southport, exploiting their trust and financial dependence. Barton's brazen crimes went undetected for 18 years, but he was eventually caught out when he tried to claim £10m from the estate of an elderly woman, Katy Willey, after isolating her and her husband from their friends and family.

Key Takeaways:

• Barton stole around £4m from six wealthy and vulnerable residents, including £831,000 from Ronald Ward-Howlett, who was preyed upon by Barton's manipulation of his emotions and trust.
• Barton isolated residents from their families and manipulated them with false claims of "magic spells" and veiled threats, including telling one victim he would not be buried with his family and his ashes would be thrown in the bin if he didn't help him avoid justice.
• Barton used a combination of flattery, persuasion, and veiled threats to get what he wanted from his victims, including convincing one woman to buy him a £80,000 Mercedes the day before she died.
• Barton's crimes went undetected for 18 years, but he was eventually caught out when he tried to claim £10m from the estate of Katy Willey, after isolating her and her husband from their friends and family.
• Barton was jailed for 21 years in July 2018, but his sentence was slashed to 17 years on appeal after lawyers argued the initial term was "manifestly excessive."
• Barton's accomplices, bookkeeper Kiria Hughes and former care home manager Rosemary Booth, were sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for a year, and six years in prison, respectively.

Statistics:

• 18 years: The length of time Barton's brazen crimes went undetected.
• £4m: The amount stolen by Barton from six wealthy and vulnerable residents.
• £831,000: The amount stolen from Ronald Ward-Howlett after Barton preyed on his emotions.
• £80,000: The cost of a Mercedes bought by Katy Willey the day before she died.
• 1997-2013: The 16-year period during which Barton groomed six wealthy and vulnerable residents.
• 2: The number of years Katy Willey and her husband paid £1m for care at Barton Park.
• 21 years: The initial sentence given to Barton in July 2018.
• 17 years: The sentence given to Barton after his appeal.

Sources:

• The ECHO, "Despicable care home owner stole £4m from wealthy residents"
• Crown Prosecution Service, "David Barton jailed for 17 years for £4m care home scam"
• Liverpool Crown Court, "David Barton guilty of five fraud offences, three counts of theft, false accounting and transferring criminal property"
• The Independent, "Care home owner who stole £4m from vulnerable residents jailed for 17 years"