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The wife of a solicitor who stole more than £600,000 from the elderly to spend on sex sprees and antiques has blamed the Parkinson’s drugs he was taking after the case led to him and their son taking their own lives.
Andrew Taylor plundered the extraordinary sum from the accounts of 13 pensioners whose affairs he was looking after, many of whom were in care homes or had dementia.
He then ‘frittered away’ the cash on adult webcams, sex workers and antiques, leaving one victim unable to pay for her funeral.
A court would later hear his actions were caused by the Parkinson’s medication Pramipexole, a type of dopamine agonist drug which can cause impulsive behaviours.
After his arrest in July 2013, Taylor stopped taking the medication, but tragedy struck soon afterwards.
Harry, the son he shared with his ex-wife, Frances, had a history of mental health struggles and found the arrest ‘very difficult to cope with’.
He was sectioned soon afterwards, but after being released he disappeared. His body was found weeks later on the coast of Holland, and it was confirmed that Harry, who had schizophrenia, had died by suicide.
Taylor, from Cheadle, Greater Manchester, was a pillar of the community before launching his thieving spree in 2011.
Andrew Taylor plundered the extraordinary sum from the accounts of 13 pensioners whose affairs he was looking after, many of whom were in care homes or had dementia
Taylor, who had set up his solicitor firm (pictured) in 1990, had power of attorney over 12 of his 13 victims
A court was told the drugs he had been prescribed caused ‘compulsive’ behaviour and that Taylor became obsessed with sex and shopping.
Taylor, who had set up his solicitor firm in 1990, had power of attorney over 12 of his 13 victims.
Over a two year, two month period, he transferred large sums of cash from their accounts to his own and also wrote cheques from them to himself.
In one staggering case, he stole £400,000 from a 86-year-old with dementia who required round-the-clock care at the time.
He also stole almost £3,000 from an 87-year-old victim. When she died in 2013, the theft meant she did not have enough money to fund her funeral.
Taylor spent more than £100,000 on one sex site alone, and another £80,000 on sex workers in just four months.
When arrested, he was found to have the numbers of 90 sex workers in his phone.
Taylor also spent more than £85,000 on eBay, purchasing antiques including pens, pottery and cricket memorabilia.
‘People didn’t want to know us, and I can understand that entirely,’ his ex-wife Frances told the BBC of the family’s experience after the arrest.
Taylor’s son Harry (pictured) took his own life after his father’s arrest – years later, Taylor would also kill himself
‘Dad was so ashamed from the point he was arrested, he basically didn’t leave the house,’ their daughter Alice added.
Taylor was jailed for four years in 2015 after admitting to 13 counts of fraud.
At Manchester Crown Court, Mr Justice Openshaw said: ‘The money is all gone – squandered on sexual excesses and frittered away on absurd extravagancies.
‘I accept you had many problems. It is highly likely that the compulsive, extravagant, behaviour was triggered by the drugs you were taking.
‘However, on proper analysis, that’s no real mitigation. You were still a practising solicitor and were carrying out other areas of your work competently. There were people you could have sought help from.’
But the tragic case was far from over.
Frances split from Taylor during the two years he spent in prison before his release, at which point he moved into sheltered accommodation.
According to his family, the Covid lockdowns were particularly difficult for him, with his life being ‘completely dismantled’ by the impact of the drugs.
Taylor did not start retaking his Parkinson’s drugs. He died by suicide in October 2020.
Speaking out about the impact of dopamine agonist drugs, Frances said: ‘I had my life taken away from me: my home, the community I lived in, but above all my son.
‘I just don’t have the words to say how devastating that is.’
The types of compulsive behaviour which can be caused by dopamine agonist drugs include new sexual urges, addiction, shopping and gambling.
The medications are used to treat conditions including Parkinson’s and Restless Legs Syndrome.
As many as one in six people on the drugs are thought to be affected by compulsive symptoms, known as impulse control disorders, according to a 2010 study.
The chair of the MPs’ Health Select Committee has now written to the UK drugs regulator asking for a review of official warnings.
Because Harry and Taylor died by suicide, their deaths will not be recorded in the UK’s Yellow Card record – the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s reported adverse effects from drugs.
Other collateral damage, including lost life savings, mental health impacts and even loss of homes are also not recorded.
The link between the Parkinson’s drugs and compulsive behaviours has been known for more than 20 years.
The MHRA has been contacted for comment.
For confidential support, call Samaritans for free from a UK phone on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support