Wigan man who tried to fleece his own father out of £50k is spared jail

A court heard that Cory Barrett was his father Keith’s full-time carer and that this meant he had permission to use his bank card to do the shopping and pay the bills.

But prosecutors said that the now 21-year-old abused the trust that had been placed in him and, over several months, salted away thousands for himself on the side.

The Bolton Crown Court hearing was told that Mr Barrett Snr had come into some money through a legacy in February 2020 and that it was between April and December of that year that Barrett Jnr, of Inward Drive, Shevington, made the extra, criminal withdrawals for himself.

It was at the end of 2020 that Keith Barrett realised that a lot of money had disappeared from his bank account and he contacted the authorities.

A police investigation was launched and in March 2021, Corey Barrett was arrested and made admissions.

Appearing before magistrates, he pleaded guilty to “dishonestly intending to make a gain for himself by making a representation to the bank which he knew was untrue or misleading, namely that he was entitled to withdraw funds from his father’s bank account to the value of £50,000.”

He had been sent to a higher court for sentencing and the judge gave him an 18-month jail sentence but suspended it for two years. He must complete a Thinking Skills course and 30 days of rehabilitation activities as part of a community punishment.