Willersey couple horrified by son's £55,000 forgery (From Evesham Journal)

Willersey couple horrified by son's £55,000 forgery

11:36am Tuesday 26th May 2009

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A WILLERSEY couple were horrified to discover that their son had remortgaged their home to raise £55,000 which he spent on luxury living.

Darrell Keen, aged 26, forged his father's signature to remortgage the family home on Field Lane and then spent the surplus cash in four months, Gloucester crown court heard.

Keen did not turn up for his trial in Cirencester, but his parents Graham and Rachel Keen were both there to give evidence against him and he was convicted in his absence.

Judge Martin Picton issued a warrant for Keen's arrest and said he would pass sentence on him on June 1 whether he has been found by then or not.

The jury of seven men and five women had taken just 25 minutes to convict Keen of forging the mortgage application and using a false instrument with intent.

Prosecutor Lisa Hennessy said Keen had spent the money on "the trappings of a luxury lifestyle - a flat, rented car, clothes and restaurants."

Keen had denied forgery - that between October 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007, he made a false instrument - namely the mortgage application form.

He also pleaded not guilty to using a false instrument with intent between the same dates - the same mortgage application document.

After the guilty verdict on both counts, Judge Martin Picton heard how Keen had previous similar convictions for obtaining by deception and identity theft.

He had previously been sentenced to four months but that was increased to six months after it was discovered that mitigation about him being a professional rugby player was untrue.

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