Sisters Betrayed by Their Mother Over £50,000 Inheritance Say They’re Left Anxious and Unable to Trust.
Two sisters say they have been left emotionally scarred, anxious, and unable to trust anyone after their mother — once their best friend — stole their £50,000 inheritance.
Katherine Hill, 53, from Alltwen in Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot, and her 93-year-old father, Gerald Hill, from Fairwood in Swansea, were convicted of fraud by abuse of power following a trial last year. Katherine received a 30-month prison sentence, while Gerald was given a 12-month sentence suspended for 18 months.
On Monday, Katherine was ordered to repay the inheritance, which had been left to her daughters, Gemma and Jessica Thomas, by their late grandmother, Margaret Hill.
"I'll never have a relationship with my mother now," said Jessica.
Swansea Crown Court heard that due to inflation, the stolen amount was now valued at around £65,000. Despite advice to the contrary, Katherine deposited the money into a Barclays Everyday Saver account, accessible by both her and her father. Within a year, the account was drained through 10 withdrawals—three of which alone totaled £35,000.
The inheritance had been placed in a trust to be accessed by the girls when they turned 25, with Katherine appointed as trustee. But between March 2016 and March 2017, the money vanished.
The girls, who grew up in Neath Port Talbot, recalled their mother once being a caring and close figure. "She was like my best friend," said Gemma, now 26. "No one saw this coming."
The sisters say they were unaware their mother had a poor relationship with her own mother, Margaret Hill, who died in 2014—around the same time Katherine was divorcing their father, Chris Thomas. At the time, Jessica was just 12 and kept in the dark about the inheritance. Gemma, then 15, had some understanding of it.
After the divorce, the girls lived with their mother for about six months. But they said she often left them alone while visiting her new boyfriend.
"It started with her going on dates. At first, I enjoyed the freedom," Gemma admitted. "But it became constant, and I would beg her to stay home just once."
Eventually, their father decided they would be better off living with him. Katherine moved in with her partner, Phillip Lloyd.
Though their mother would occasionally take them out, conversations often revolved around her bitterness that they had chosen to live with their father.
"I think she could never accept that we picked him over her," said Gemma.
Jessica added, "It became clear we weren’t really a priority to her anymore." She recalled her mother cutting her 13th birthday visit short to meet her boyfriend's family.
Despite observing signs of extravagance—such as a hot tub, a backyard pub, and holidays—they assumed Hill was spending her own inheritance. Now, they believe it was their money funding that lifestyle.
The truth came to light when Gemma called her mother to request early access to the inheritance so she could buy their childhood home. Katherine claimed the money didn’t exist, blocked Gemma’s number, and later told the court the money had been posted through the girls’ letterboxes.
Jessica, now a nurse, described the moment she learned not only that the money had existed—but that it was already gone. "How can you grieve something you never had?" she asked. "But she stole an opportunity that most people don’t get."
Still living with her boyfriend’s parents, Jessica said the loss meant it would take years to afford a place of her own. Gemma expressed growing anger as her mother’s lies unfolded in court.
Recalling the trial, Gemma said, "The woman I saw there didn’t seem like the mum I remembered. I kept wondering, 'What if we’re wrong?' But I had to accept she did this."
Giving evidence was distressing, she said, but the verdict brought validation more than relief. "When she was actually sentenced, it felt like someone was telling us we weren’t crazy."
The sisters later saw social media posts from people claiming to be in prison with their mother, who was still insisting on her innocence. "And people believed her," Jessica said. "That’s what shocked me most."
They acknowledged the relationship had begun deteriorating before the theft, but believed there had once been a chance for reconciliation. "That’s no longer possible," Jessica said. "She’s shown no remorse."
Jessica recalled her mother shaking her head in court as she testified, as if she were the one lying. "She'll never take responsibility."
Years of therapy have helped Jessica manage "massive trust issues." Gemma, meanwhile, said she developed a deep fear of abandonment. "I thought, 'If my mother doesn’t love me, who will?'"
Now a mother herself, Gemma sees the betrayal even more clearly. "After court on Monday, I came home and was feeding my son. I thought—I couldn’t go ten hours without knowing how he was. How could she ignore us for ten years?"
Jessica, who still lives and works in the same area as her mother, said the trauma has caused her physical symptoms, including a stress-induced tic. She credits their father’s emotional and financial support with helping them survive the legal ordeal.
With the legal battle behind them, the sisters hope they’ll finally receive the stolen money and begin healing.
They say they want to move on, forget their mother, and—at last—breathe.
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