Celebrated writer

The caregiver of Scottish Thunderbirds writer Alan Pattillo has admitted to stealing ￡75,000 ($95,460) from the Emmy award-winner to fund his gambling addiction.

Allan Beacham, who visited elderly Pattillo’s home in Aberdeenshire, Scotland to care for him, is alleged to have stolen thousands of pounds to “dig himself out of the hole” he’d created with his gambling.

spent ￡25,000 ($31,800) of the stolen money on lottery tickets

The 66-year-old carer, who owned a house bought for him by Pattillo, is reported to have also spent ￡25,000 ($31,800) of the stolen money on lottery tickets.

However, unable to explain the lost money, Beacham pleaded guilty to taking the money from the celebrated pensioner who was hard of hearing and registered blind. The crime occurred shortly before Pattillo passed away.

Beacham is expected to be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court in March.

Abusing the power of trust

A court heard last year that in 2017 Pattillo moved to Salisbury from Aberdeenshire to be closer to his family. Beacham agreed to move with Pattillo on the condition that a house was bought for him to live in.

As his carer, Beacham was earning ￡40,000 ($50,900) per year and was in control of Pattillo’s finances as his health declined. Thomas Evans, prosecuting, told the court that when Pattillo moved from Aberdeenshire to Salisbury his monthly cash spend rose from ￡258.33 ($328.80) to ￡4,607 ($5,863.72).

decided to steal “from a vulnerable pensioner who had entrusted his care to him.”

Evans said that Beacham had developed a gambling addiction and to get himself out of the hole he’d dug, he decided to steal “from a vulnerable pensioner who had entrusted his care to him.” In 2019, Pattillo raised concerns about his finances to care staff and Beacham’s contract was terminated.

Getting suspicious

During Beacham’s time caring for Pattillo, he is alleged to have had many outlandish expenses.

Between April 2017 and June 2019, Beacham requested ￡30,408 ($38,700) from Pattillo’s lawyers, Batt Broadbent, claiming the money was for dental work. However, according to Evans, the amount paid to The Private Treatment Centre was just ￡4,298.99 ($5,471.69).

Other offenses include ￡750 ($954) being withdrawn as a wedding gift for a niece when only a ￡30 ($38) gift voucher was given to the niece and her husband. Beacham also, reportedly, requested ￡500 ($636) to pay for a deposit for Pattillo’s 90th birthday. When the party didn’t happen, the money wasn’t returned to Batt Broadbent.

Batt Broadbent paralegal Alison Bamber was initially responsible for approving the requests for money during the alleged offenses. In 2019, solicitor Rachel Catherine Wilson took over from Bamber and estimated ￡75,000 had been taken out.

Concerned, she informed Mr Pattillo’s attorney who then phoned his bank to put a stop to his cards.