‘Blame it on the Photocopier’ – Photocopiers that Have Made the Headlines

Thursday, 03 March 2011 08:00

Photocopier News - General News

The Solicitor Who Wanted it All

In the ‘Blame it on the Photocopier’ series, Canon Copiers brings you some of the most fascinating stories to have hit the headlines in recent years which have involved photocopiers.

A solicitor in Stone, Staffordshire, cheated a dying millionaire out of almost £100,000, putting his elderly wife in care and lavishly treating herself to luxuries including breast reduction surgery and a £37,000 Audi – all made possible thanks to the office photocopier!

Mother of two, Veronica Hyland, used a photocopier to forge a power of attorney document for retired businessman Les Carriers, as he lay dying of cancer. Within days of it being registered, Hyland had begun her spending spree, buying the sports car, a £6000 dog, a pedigree cat, designer sunglasses and a mobile phone. It was in fact the day after she was arrested that Hyland underwent £5,150 worth of breast reduction surgery.

Hyland came under suspicion when her secretary, Tanya Guest, was asked to assist in shredding documents. Ms Guest was concerned and so kept them. When the partners at the firm had been alerted, experts examined the power of attorney documents which were found to have been faked – a scanner or a photocopier had been used to transfer Mrs Carriers’ signature. Hyland was immediately suspended by the firm, despite claiming that she was only executing the wishes of Mr Carrier. At no stage did Hyland show any remorse for her actions. In a victim impact statement, Anita Howard, another employee at the firm reported that Hyland had rather callously put Mrs Carrier into a care home in which her guide dog had not been allowed.

Further investigation showed that when Hyland had got her job in 2004, she had failed to disclose she was in a voluntary agreement to pay-off over £60,000’s of debt. After the swindle came to light, it was also revealed that Hyland had been defrauding her company out of money by cashing cash and cheque payments from company clients into her own bank account.

Veronica Hyland was jailed for two years and four months in December 2009.

Look out for further installments in the ‘Blame it on the Photocopier’ series. For any information on the latest Canon photocopiers please contact Canon Copiers