Ex-soldier steals practically £30k from dementia-ridden mum, 83, and spends all of it on Lego
Married father-of-two Martyn Walker nicked the money from him mum, 83, who is battling dementia, over roughly 18 months in a case the judge called a ‘pretty mean offence’
Martyn Walker admitted two counts of theft (Image: East Anglia News Service)
A man has been convicted of stealing more than £28,000 from his dementia-stricken mother to fuel his obsession with Lego. Martyn Walker, 55, swiped the huge sum from two bank accounts belonging to his 83-year-old mum, Christine Hoggett, all while she was living in a care home and battling dementia.
Norwich Crown Court heard how the former soldier, from Great Yarmouth, had been trusted to look after his mum’s finances after she moved to a care home in Bury, St Edmunds, in 2022.
But instead of helping pay for her care, he drained her accounts between January 2023 and July 2024 and spent most of it on his hobby.
Prosecutor Samantha Lowther revealed that Walker initially claimed to be “struggling” to pay the care home fees. However, he later admitted the real reason – that he had “spent his mother’s money” on himself.
Lowther told the court: “He spent a lot of money on Lego”, adding that he also used the stolen cash to cover petrol and other bills. The jaw-dropping theft escalated over time, with Walker taking £16,095 from one account and £11,975 from another.
Nevertheless, when the care home contacted him about unpaid fees, the truth started to unravel. Walker, who appeared in court on Monday (January 26) using a walking stick and mobility scooter, admitted two counts of theft.
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According to his Facebook page, he served with 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment from May 1988 to January 1993. He was also previously with 202 Battalion Royal Artillery.
Walker, who represented himself at the sentencing hearing, told the court: “I made a mistake Your Honour. I understand the implications.
“I am going to miss seeing my mum and my family. My wife only just found out last week, the implications that are happening, but I couldn’t explain how it was going to go.
“I was hoping to get maybe a tag or something. If not, it is what it is, I’m afraid.
“I took advantage and must pay for what I did.” However, the dad-of-two was given 18 months in jail, suspended for 24 months.
He was also ordered to do 180 hours unpaid work on top of a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement. Judge David Pugh slammed him for his abhorrent behaviour, saying it was “a pretty mean offence of theft from your 83-year-old mother who was in a care home and while suffering from dementia”.
He called it a “high degree of trust” betrayal and said Walker had “deliberately targeted a vulnerable woman” in a theft carried out over a “sustained period of time”.
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