The first published pictures of the Falmouth bus driver accused of defrauding an elderly couple and forging their wills have been taken outside Truro Crown Court.
The trial of Percival John Harris, aged 59, of Turnaware Road, Falmouth was adjourned until Monday today after one of the jurors fell ill.
Harris is currently on trial alongside Big Issue seller Michael Davies-Patrick. He is charged with theft, two charges of conspiracy to make a false instrument by forging two wills, perverting the course of justice and fraud.
The pictures were taken as he arrived at court and as he left.
Davies-Patrick, aged 38, is facing two charges of making a false instrument and one of perverting the course of justice.
Both men deny all the charges.
Harris is accused of “hoovering up” the contents of the bank accounts of Falmouth couple Kathleen and Desmond Moyle when he was granted lasting power of attorney in 2014 after befriending them and taking £225,000. Before that he is also alleged to have stolen £4,000 from them.
He is also accused of forging both their wills and getting Davies-Patrick and another man, who has since died, to sign as having witnessed each of the couple signing them, Mrs Moyles in the back of his car in a multi-storey car park in Truro and Mr Moyle’s in Helston Hospital.
Mrs Moyle died aged 77 on February 14, 2018 while Mr Moyle died in September 2016.
The prosecution alleges the pair never even met the couple before or they after they witnessed the wills. The court was told that Harris met the two other men when he drove the Falmouth to Truro bus and paid them £20 each to witness the wills which had been written on legal pro-forma that could be bought online on Amazon.
The wills gave Harris 95% of the Moyle’s assets at the expense of their family. An earlier will written in 2015 and witnessed at solicitors Hine Downing had left him 25%.
The pair were charged after the family challenged the wills.
Yesterday and a handwriting expert told the trial that there were many differences between the signatures on the will which netted Harris more than £85,000 and the Moyle specimen signatures she was sent to compare.
The trial continues.
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