A former bank boss who forged his wife’s signature in order to hand over their £280,000 West End home has been locked up.
Debt-ridden David Cowper fraudulently made the transfer to millionaire butcher Simon Howie, his ex-employer who had been lending him thousands of pounds.
Cowper, 73, worked as Mr Howie’s financial director after previously serving as a branch manager for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
His wife Helen was clueless about her husband’s £193,000 debt to Howie until she made plans to draw up a will.
Cowper previously pleaded guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court and was today jailed for more than a year.
“Your previous occupation as a bank manager may well have provided you with the knowledge and insight as to how such a fraud could be committed,” Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said.
“As well as a fraud, this was a gross breach of trust towards your wife.”
The court previously heard how Cowper, of Glenisla Terrace, previously asked Mr Howie if he could borrow money to buy a house for his daughter.
More cash was borrowed and some was paid back but Cowper later agreed to transfer the title deeds of his home on Blackness Avenue, with any profits being distributed to Mr Howie.
Cowper, a first offender, pleaded guilty to fraudulently transferring the title deeds.
Jim Laverty, defending, said that Cowper had paid £140,000 to Mr Howie following the sale of the house, plus £10,000 in cash.
He told Sheriff Carmichael that Cowper formerly coached football teams and had given back to the community throughout his life.
Mr Laverty said Cowper accepted that his wife was the real victim of his actions.
“This is a serious charge, there’s no getting away from that,” Mr Laverty said.
“He is no longer bankrupt and now lives in rental accommodation. He does not have the means to raise the £50,000 still owed.
“He did not wish to tell his wife about the debts. He felt he had been a failure in relation to financial mismanagement and felt vulnerable due to his ill health.
“He is a man whose skills could be put to use in the community.”
However, Sheriff Carmichael believed only a custodial sentence was appropriate and jailed Cowper for 14 months.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Telegraph website. For more information, read about our new combined website.