Trusted friend is accused of bid to swindle brother of top Tory Leon Brittan
A FRIEND yesterday denied a bid to swindle large sums from Sir Samuel Brittan, brother of former Tory minister Leon Brittan.
Michelle Braithwaite, 46, allegedly tried to obtain £96,000 on author Sir Samuel’s American Express card and take £93,500 from his Coutts account.
Braithwaite – described as a “trusted friend and helper” – is also accused of stealing £91,000 from Sir Samuel, whose brother, former home secretary Leon, died in 2015, aged 75.
The alleged offences date from August 2016 to April last year, Inner London Crown Court heard.
Sir Samuel, 84, was knighted in 1993. Braithwaite, of Kensington central London, denied two counts of fraud by false representation, one of fraud by abuse of position and one of theft.
Helper
Two charges allege she “dishonestly made a false representation” by submitting documents saying that she had permission to use Sir Samuel Brittan’s American Express bank account and credit card “intending to make a gain, namely £96,000, for yourself and cause a loss to Sir Samuel Brittan”.
Another charge alleges that between August 1 2016 and April 30 2017, she “committed fraud in that, while occupying a position, namely trusted friend and helper, in which you were expected to safeguard, or not to act against, the financial interests of Sir Samuel, by withdrawing and transferring unauthorised sums of money from his Coutts bank accounts without his consent, you dishonestly abused that position intending thereby to make a gain, namely £93,500 for yourself and cause loss to Sir Samuel of the same amount”. She is also accused of theft between April 1 2017 and April 30 2017, allegedly stealing “money, to the value of £91,000, belonging to Sir Samuel Brittan”.
Braithwaite was granted conditional bail ahead of a trial at Inner London Crown Court on June 11.