London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Banbury couple 'starved millionaire to death to steal his fortune'

Banbury couple 'starved millionaire to death to steal his fortune'

A couple starved their vulnerable landlord to death to inherit part of his £3.5m estate, a court has heard.

Anthony Sootheran's body was found at his home near South Newington, Oxfordshire, in March 2014.

The 59-year-old "recluse" relied for care on Lynda Rickard, 62, who killed him to satisfy her "brazen greed", prosecutors said.

She and her husband Wayne Rickard, 66, both from Oxfordshire, deny a charge of murder at Reading Crown Court.

Mrs Rickard also denies gross negligence manslaughter while her husband denies causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult.

Oliver Saxby QC, prosecuting, said Mrs Rickard "ruthlessly exploited" Mr Sootheran and his mother, Joy Sootheran, who died in 2012.

He said the defendant admitted forging their wills and using tens of thousands of pounds of their money as her own.

Anthony Sootheran died after being "deprived of food and drink", the court heard

The barrister said half of Ms Sootheran's £1.5m fortune was stopped from going to Mrs Rickard after people "smelt a rat" over her will.

He said Mrs Rickard then "isolated, utterly neglected and controlled [her son]... ultimately by depriving him of food and drink".

He continued: "Assisted by her husband, Lynda Rickard starved Anthony Sootheran to death, thereby satisfying her greed and securing... the windfall she craved."

Mr Saxby said Mr Sootheran was found dead by a visiting doctor on 18 March 2014 at High Havens Farm, where he lived with the Rickards who were his tenants.

His forged will gave Mrs Rickard the farm and a third of his estate, the prosecutor said.

(Left to right) Denise Neal, Shanda Robinson and Michael Dunkley deny fraudulently signing forged wills

Three of Mrs Rickard's friends became "embroiled in her dishonesty", Mr Saxby added.

Shanda Robinson, 51, Denise Neal, 41 and Michael Dunkley, 49, all from the Banbury area, deny fraudulently signing wills knowing that they were forged.

Mr Rickard denies a charge of perverting the course of justice by attempting to pass off a will as genuine while Ms Robinson denies conspiring to do the same.

The Rickards also deny a charge of fraudulently using Ms Sootheran's money to buy a Mitsubishi Shogun car, the court heard.

A sixth accused person, June Alsford, 78, has pleaded guilty to fraudulently signing a will and trying to pass it off as genuine, the court heard.

The trial continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×