A WOMAN accused of fraudulently spending more than £50,000 of a dementia-stricken relative’s money told police it was only ever spent on the alleged victim and to buy her daughter a car.

Diane Maddox, 57, is standing trial after being charged with six counts of fraud and two counts of transferring criminal property.

Husband Andrew, 57 and of Bridgewater Drive, Westcliff, is also charged with the same offences.

It is alleged the couple stole money from Andrew’s father, Lionel Maddox.

Both deny the charges.

A police interview with Mrs Maddox, was read out during the trial at Basildon Crown Court on Friday.

In it, she claimed the money was always spent with her father-in-law’s consent.

Mrs Maddox, of Priorywood Drive, Leigh, said: “He told us we could use about £16,000 to buy my daughter a car in about 2016. This was when he was with it.

“When he was living with me he was paying me for his keep and money was coming from his account to ours.

“We took money from him as he was paying us for living with us at the time. He also had to have cash in his wallet and would say he needed to go to the cash point.

“He would also give us his card and tell us to buy takeaways and food at times.”

Lionel Maddox, whose health was deteriorating with age, was moved into Westerley Christian Care Home in Westcliff in August 2017, having previously lived with the couple.

While living in the care home, transactions from Lionel Maddox’s account paid for the defendants’ Sky TV bill, flights and holidays, and cigars from Amsterdam,.

The court was told the costs totalled £23,000.

Mrs Maddox told police in her interview that some of the alleged victim’s money had to be used to cover debts coming from his ongoing care home bill.

She claimed her and her husband also had to pay more for the care than they had planned.

She added: “The care home fees got into arrears as Andy’s brother David was not paying despite agreeing to do so.

“We started paying much more than we had agreed to because at one point nobody was paying.

“Why should we pay for it all when his brother was not doing his bit?”

The trial continues.