The UK has some of the strictest laws in the world to protect beneficiaries from rapacious executors and trustees. Recently, a woman who was the co-executor of a man’s will and trustee for his minor child was jailed for three years after making improper withdrawals from the funds under her care.

The circumstances were that a man had died at the age of 41, leaving a widow and minor son. The man’s pension fund was put in trust for the son and the man’s widow and sister were the trustees of the fund and his executors. The sister forged the widow’s signature in order to make withdrawals of money from the trust account.

She was convicted of forgery and has had her personal assets frozen pending a confiscation order being made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.