In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Banbury community and beyond, Susan Bruland, a 57-year-old bookkeeper from Keats Road, Banbury, has been sentenced to five years in prison after defrauding an elderly couple out of more than £901,400. The story, which unfolded between July 2022 and October 2023, highlights both the vulnerability of those who entrust others with power of attorney and the devastating impact that betrayal of trust can have on individuals and their families.
According to Banbury FM, Bruland was not just a professional advisor but also a long-standing family friend of the victims. She was granted power of attorney—a role that gave her sweeping authority over the couple’s financial affairs. What followed, as detailed in court documents and police reports, was a systematic siphoning of funds from the couple’s accounts into her own, with the money ultimately being used for her personal benefit and business dealings.
The fraudulent activity began on July 27, 2022, when Bruland transferred £19,200 from the couple’s joint account to her own. Just days later, the same amount was moved again. The pattern continued into September, with another £18,000 being transferred. By the end of December 2022, the victims’ accounts were nearly depleted. In January 2023, an additional £30,000 was moved from the couple’s joint account into one of their personal accounts and subsequently into Bruland’s hands.
Investigators from Thames Valley Police’s Central Fraud Unit, led by Detective Inspector Duncan Wynn, uncovered a trail of further deception. In March 2023, Bruland sent £25,000 to two individuals purporting to represent an investment platform. She opened multiple bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, channeling £150,000 of the stolen money into cryptocurrency investments. Between April and June of that year, tens of thousands more pounds were moved from the couple’s accounts to Bruland’s. In May alone, £44,978 was sent to unknown recipients under the guise of cryptocurrency investment.
But the financial exploitation did not stop at bank transfers. According to BBC News, Bruland also began liquidating the couple’s assets, including shares, once their cash accounts ran dry. This allowed her to continue funding her lifestyle and business transactions. Meanwhile, she neglected the couple’s care obligations, leaving a care home owed a substantial sum of money for services rendered to the vulnerable victims.
The scale and sophistication of the fraud eventually triggered alarm bells at the couple’s bank, which closed Bruland’s account due to fraud concerns. The police investigation was launched in 2023 after suspicions were raised over unusually large transactions on the victims’ accounts. As Detective Inspector Wynn told Thames Valley Police’s media team, “Enquiries by the Central Fraud Unit identified that these transactions were being made by a third party, the defendant Susan Bruland, who had authority to act on the account holders’ behalf regarding financial matters as she had been granted Lasting Power of Attorney for them.”
Bruland was arrested on January 17, 2024. During questioning, she claimed that she had merely borrowed the money from the couple to support her business. However, the police could find no evidence of any agreement in place between Bruland and the couple, nor any record of how the money was invested or spent. The overwhelming evidence led Bruland to plead guilty to two counts of fraud by abuse of position at Oxford Crown Court on August 15, 2025. She was sentenced on August 29, 2025, to five years in prison—a sentence that, according to Detective Inspector Wynn, “shows that the offences committed were at the top of the scale for fraud offences.”
Detective Inspector Wynn did not mince words in his assessment of the case. As reported by Banbury FM and echoed by BBC News, he stated, “In total Bruland took over £900,000 from two elderly vulnerable people she was given responsibility to act for. Bruland demonstrated a complete disregard for the position of trust she had been placed in, and neglected the responsibility she held to act in the best interest of the victims. Bruland has offered little remorse or explanation for her actions.”
He went on to highlight the broader implications of the case: “The conviction and sentence of Bruland sends a clear message that those who exploit vulnerable people in our community will be brought to justice. We will continue to work closely with our partners to protect those at risk and ensure offenders are held accountable for their actions.”
The judge presiding over the case was equally forthright, noting that Bruland had been entrusted with one of the most responsible positions possible and had “callously disregarded this for her own means.” The case, as the judge and police both emphasized, serves as a stark reminder of the importance of careful selection and oversight when granting power of attorney. As Detective Inspector Wynn cautioned, “It is a powerful legal responsibility that allows someone to make decisions and manage finances on your behalf. We would urge anyone considering it to seek proper legal advice, only appoint someone you absolutely trust, and where possible ensure there is proactive oversight from more than one person.”
For those who find themselves in the position of power of attorney, the message from law enforcement is clear: “It is vital to remember that power of attorney is a position of responsibility, not opportunity. You are there to protect the best interests of the person who has placed their trust in you. You should keep clear records and separate any transactions from your own. Always maintain the clear understanding that any action you take as an attorney MUST be in the interests of the donor. Any abuse of that trust will be treated as a serious criminal offence, as this conviction shows.”
The fallout from Bruland’s actions extends far beyond the financial losses suffered by the victims. The emotional toll on the elderly couple and their family is impossible to quantify. The case has also prompted renewed calls for vigilance within the financial and legal communities, as well as among families who may be considering granting power of attorney to friends or associates.
Thames Valley Police has urged anyone with concerns about the misuse of power of attorney to come forward. As Detective Inspector Wynn put it, “Our priority as police is to safeguard vulnerable people in our communities. If you have concerns about how a power of attorney is being used, please report it—together we can prevent exploitation and protect those most vulnerable.”
As the dust settles on this high-profile prosecution, the message is unambiguous: trust, once broken, can have devastating consequences, and those who exploit the vulnerable will face the full force of the law.
