Brierley Hill care home manager allegedly forged will of resident which would see her and owners of business benefit by £150,000

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Jamiel Slaney-Summers, aged 65, allegedly drew up a false document signed by two staff members which would see the majority of resident Rita Barnsley's estate go to Slaney-Summers and fellow defendants and owners of Amberley Care Home, Graham and Lyn Walker.

The first day of the trial heard Mrs Barnsley had a house worth £150,000 and savings of around £20,000 and the will left 25 per cent of the estate to Lyn Walker.

Opening the case, Mark Jackson, prosecuting, said Slaney-Summers also allegedly stole around £6,000 from Mrs Barnsley, aged 84, who had been a resident at the home in Stourbridge Road, Brierley Hill, since May 2020, using her bank card.

The offences are said to have taken place between May and December 2021.

Mr Jackson said: "The safeguarding policies of the home say staff should be responsible for the welfare of the service users or residents, protect their vulnerability and also protect the good nature of the business. It includes a written policy of staff not accepting any money from the residents or their families as gifts or a thank you.

"We say it would appear in this case that this did not apply to the owners or senior management.

"Slaney-Summers initially spoke to Mrs Barnsley and asked her if she had a will and that if she didn't, the Government would stand to get everything when she died. This was not true but it wasn't questioned due to her vulnerable nature and the fact she couldn't get advice from family or a solicitor.

 "Mrs Barnsley's only living relative was an adopted cousin to whom she was very close. She initially maintained daily contact with her, via either visits or mobile phone. 

"But that seemed to cease when the relative was told she no longer had the phone and most attempts to speak to her or see her were rebuffed or not granted.

"She made a complaint to the Care Quality Commission [CQC] who govern care homes and they alerted Dudley Council, with a social worker making enquiries on her behalf but both were assured the home was looking after her interests.

"When Mrs Barnsley eventually passed away in August 2021, the relative was contacted by a text from Slaney-Summers and told where and when the funeral was taking place which went against what Mrs Barnsley had requested and again she contacted the CQC.

The court heard two members of staff, Leanne Mapp and Dawn Webb, had both been asked to sign a document in Mrs Barnsley's room but 'they didn't know what they were signing' as the paper had been folded over so all they could see was a box and a line for a signature."

Mr Jackson said: "In a statement Mrs Mapp, who had worked at the home for six years, said she had previously had concerns about the behaviour of Slaney-Summers but she was her manager and so she always did what she was told.

"She was summoned into Mrs Barnsley's bedroom where Slaney-Summers was with Mrs Barnsley and asked to sign the document which she did, although she thought it was strange, again she didn't question instructions and said it all happened very quickly.

"What she was signing was in reality a document which could have been obtained from a high street shop, had not been drawn up by a solicitor and had no legal basis to act as a will, but potentially was going to allow Slaney-Summers and the owners of the home to benefit to the tune of thousands of pounds."

Graham Walker, aged 74 and Lyn Walker, aged 71, both of Ribbesford Close, Cradley and Slaney-Summers, of Raven Hays Road, Birmingham are jointly charged with dishonestly abusing their position to make financial gain.

Slaney-Summers is also charged with theft.

All three deny all charges and the trial continues.