17/05/2017 Look East (West)

Calls for action on financial abuse after a pensioner was conned out

More time to search for a missing man's body in a landfill site

amid fears the waste there has shifted.

And after a wet day today, what are the prospects for tomorrow? Join me

later. There are calls for better

financial protection for vulnerable older people -

after a couple conned an elderly Marjorie Webster from Peterborough

gave her neighbour Kim Riley power of attorney -

meaning she could make decisions But Kim and her husband Neil stole

?150,000 from her account. They were jailed for 18 months

and 28 months respectively. Remembering her friend of 40 years

almost a year on from her death. Marcia knew Marjorie had made

a mistake giving her and describes Kim Riley as a very

cunning and intelligent woman. She saw the vulnerability of

Marjorie, and as Marjorie's health declined she became closer

to her but was always borrowing money from Marjorie,

and Marjorie was so kind to them because of their

personal circumstances, We just knew that they were no good

but without proof there The financial abuse began

here in Peterborough. With no family of her own,

Marjorie befriended her neighbours over

a period of 12 years, to the point

where she trusted Kim Riley enough to legally look after

her financial affairs, she lived in this house in

Peterborough, and she put all her faith in Kim,

and believed that Kim Kim played the daughter

Marjorie never had, she showered her with affection

and love, but it was fake. Only when she died

did the executor to her will discover that her neighbours

had cleared out Marjorie's bank The care home that

she'd been living in got in touch fairly

quickly after she died to say that the care

home fees hadn't been

paid for six months. Now, we knew at that time

there should have been enough funds in the estate to have paid

those care home fees, The firm of lawyers then

reported their suspicions Funds were being used

for all sorts of things, family holidays, pubs, restaurants,

concert tickets, supermarket transactions, anything and

everything, holidays in Egypt, and over a period of three years it came

to about ?150,000 which equates to Kim and husband Neil

Riley were found guilty earlier this month,

and are tonight behind bars, for living the high life

at Marjorie's expense. However, Marcia believes

the financial abuse could have been avoided had Marjorie

instructed two people instead of one The charity Action On Elder Abuse

campaign for better Stephen McCarthy joined me earlier

to explain what he wants to happen. Firstly, we're were

looking for additional criminal charges to make

an aggravated crime of elder abuse,

so that's regardless of whether it's financial in this situation, or

physical, or psychological, We think that as a starting

point we think there is a real lack of deterrent

at the moment. What about the lawyers, or financial

sector, could they do more to prevent that happening

in the first place? Banks should be able to keep an eye

on this sort of thing. You would have thought they know

when someone has made an attorney, they know what that relationship

is and you would expect banks to be able to pick up on large sums of

money transferring from the actual rightful owner of that money

through to that attorney, and to then raise those concerns

with the police or social services, but most importantly

it is about raising that concern. So what sort of thing should people

be watching out for, then, whether they work

in a bank or perhaps work and social services

and have some contact People pick up often

on the disparity between the living conditions that the person might be

in and their supposed financial situation.

That's one. As well, people are not

often able to pay bills all of a sudden

when that shouldn't really be the case,

and I believe that was a factor

in this case as well. With older people needing help

with their finances, If you are going to set up

a power of attorney for yourself, to maybe look at more

than one person to be attorneys. That way, one person

can keep an eye on It's all about setting that power

of attorney up correctly, but even within that there

are limitations to power of attorney, and how safe someone

can keep themselves financially. A 74 year old grandfather

who was attacked in his own home was unlawfully killed

a coroner ruled today. David Brickwood had 35 wounds

to his body when he was found still conscious at his Northampton

home 20months ago. He died despite the

efforts of paramedics. His killer or killers

have never been found. Police are appealing for anyone

with information to come forward. I can't stress the importance

enough of people coming forward, but people that have got

evidence, there's been a lot of rumour and a lot of

speculation, but somebody out there must know

what happened, and it's those people

that we want to come forward. The search for the body of missing

airman Corrie Mckeague at a landfill site near Cambridge will continue

for another three weeks. Mr McKeague went missing

after a night out in Police believe he may have climbed

into a commercial waste bin that was then emptied

at the Milton landfill site. Clackamas specialist officers have

been searching here for the past 11 weeks and so far they have found not

a single link to the disappeared. What I have found as items relating

to the date he went missing, and also to the location where he was

last seen in Bury St Edmunds. It has been announced today that the

searches to be extended, and to night his mother has paid tribute to

officers involved. On a day like this, it really

will be so difficult for them, and myself and the boys,

our whole family, we really do appreciate what they're

doing, and how difficult We've always said that,

from the very start. The individual officers are having

to put in so many hours and so much hard work for us,

we really, really do appreciate it. When the police started the search

they identify did a quarter of an area sized -- quarter of an acre

sized area. Rubbish has shifted to fill that void, and that is why the

search has been extended and is expected to go on for another three

or three and a half weeks. As you may have seen

on the national news, the Liberal Democrats

launched their manifesto today. Our political reporter

Mousumi Bakshi has been assessing how their pledges might affect

the technology community in one Lunchtime in the city known

as the heart of Silicon Fen. More than 5000 people work

in the Cambridge science park. The city's importance is writ

large in the manifesto, with peldges to double innovation

and research sepdning. A key pledge acording to this

financial technology director. I am the father of two young

children so the future is something that is important to me

because I have to consider sort of their well-being and welfare and

what they are actually really going to do when they grow up, and really

the rate of change within technology is so great that we really don't

know what sort of jobs and the world and Britain is going to look

like in another 20 years' time. The Lib Dems are also

promising to protect the science budget but is such a narrow

focus on a specialist sector the right course

of action for voters? They are right to

focus on science and technology. If you look at where the income

and all the value and the jobs come from, it is very uniquely

around Cambridge, Science is both critical

for Cambridge but essential for the broader UK economy,

so I think they are very Cambridge voted overwhelmingly

to remain in the EU, so the promise today of a second

treferendum has been welcomed here. A measure of success

for the Liberal Democrats win back tightly

contested like Cambridge. As well as focusing on Brexit,

the party revealed it would build up to half a million

a affordable homes over the next five years, but

will it be enough in places like Cambridge

where the average cost As well as the affordable

homes building programme, the party also announced

it would create a new start-up allowance which could play well

in parts of this county. Last year, over 2,500 new

companies began trading. And while it may go

against the rest of the country, reversing Brexit plays well

for this start-up company. We have 80% of our employees

are non-British citizens. It isn't so much that

we are trying to hire foreigners, we have had a hard time finding

the right talent. The party is trying

to win back Cambridge by gambling on Brexit,

but whether that gamble pays

off remains to be seen. That is the latest news here. Here

is the weather. Wet weather continues this evening

and for the first part of the night it is associated with this

low-pressure weather system. It has picked up speed and will continue to

play eastwards as we go through the night, still some further heavy

bursts of rain possible, and then for the second half of the night it

looked largely dry with some clear spells across the west. A little

cooler than last night, temperatures holding at nine or 10 degrees for

most of us. A different day entirely tomorrow, looking like a bright

start and actually some good spells of sunshine through the day. There

may be one or two isolated showers but for most of us it will stay dry

through the day, cooler and fresher, highs of 17 or 18 degrees. The

national weather is coming up but here is the outlook, and it looks

like a regime of sunshine and showers for Friday and into the

weekend.