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Colchester: Family speak out over thieving solicitor

9:00am Thursday 6th November 2008 in


A couple have spoken out against a solicitor who stole tens of thousands of pounds left to charities by a mother in her will.

Former Brightlingsea solicitor Philip Totenhofer, 61, has been jailed for three years after admitting six charges of theft from charities, totalling nearly £200,000.

At Chelmsford Crown Court, he admitted taking £41,051.50 intended for Macmillan Cancer Support and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – cash bequeathed by Ellen Grout, who died aged 82 in 1998.

Mrs Grout, who had suffered from alzheimers, left everything to her son Ted, who had learning difficulties, to support him.

When Ted died suddenly in May 2004, Mrs Grout’s will instructed Totenhofer, who then worked from a base in Queen Street, Brightlingsea, to sell her home, pay for the funeral and other bills and hand the rest of her money to the two charities.

It was only when her other son Peter, 69, and wife Diana, 68, who live in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, contacted the causes two years ago, that they discovered the money had not reached them.

Mrs Grout said she was suspicious after Totenhofer told her husband he had no right to know how much each charity received from his mother’s estate.

“He turned round and said to my husband there’s no need for you to be here,” he said.

“That sent my brain working, and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with asking how much each of the charities got.

“He rang Macmillan and asked if there was a bequest made on behalf of a Mrs Ellen Grout.

“They said no, we’ve got no record of anything here."

“So we got in touch with the police. We had the fraud squad here and they came and interviewed us.”

  • Read on in today's Gazette

Comments(12)

crazyone says...
10:32am Thu 6 Nov 08

I knew and worked with Ted at the Lathe Co, the thieves house should sold and proceeds halved for the charities involved.

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michael G says...
11:40am Thu 6 Nov 08

totally agree (punish hard as an example). After a loss of a parent a lot of trust is given to solicitors. Some legally manage to run up additional expenses to inflate their profit on the situation. Hopefully it’s only a few, but at a time of loss most don't want the aggravation so don’t take the matter further

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TJ says...
12:36pm Thu 6 Nov 08

It makes you wonder how much more of this goes undetected.

Never trust a solicitor

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Marie2 says...
2:04pm Thu 6 Nov 08

So, have the charities got the money now or not? If not, why not? Presumably the solicitor has a house to sell or at least remortgage. He should be forced to reimburse the charities for their loss. The breaches of trust in this case - elderly lady, disabled son, theft of charities' money - are horrendous. I hope you are reading this, Mr Totenhofer, and feel suitably ashamed of your actions.

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Paperboy says...
2:39pm Thu 6 Nov 08

Mr & Mrs Totenhofer moved from Brightlingsea to Frinton 2 years ago. I know the people who bought their house had an absolute nightmare with at least 6 charities receiving a cut of the proceeds (and all of their solicitors involved). He has got away with his sick & criminal activities for far too long.

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Shadow Demon says...
3:06pm Thu 6 Nov 08

3 years (which will be less than 18 months) sitting on his backside for just short of £200K just like a normal day in the office for Mr Totenhofer, this is a disgrace i hope that action similar to that used to retrieve the profits of crime from drug dealers are being used to reunite the money with the cahrities involved.

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ivan burit says...
4:56pm Thu 6 Nov 08

What can i say.

G R E E D.
CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
BENT SOLICITORS.

whats next on the list,
certain councillors not in Clacton.?

and i called mad for living happily in modest housing (that i own)

I was most fortunate to have been put in touch with other family members in the most posh part of Clacton, and to use their solicitor from dear old Walton.

He was brillient in acting for myself in my most troubled of times before i downsized to my happy retirement home.

I will not name him on here, but will if contacted with other means.

The guy was brillient, on both performance and cost...

A credit to his profession,
unlike others we all read about.

PS, crazy, what do you know about lathes then...lol...

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Squabbly says...
8:00am Fri 7 Nov 08

Totenhofer had already been struck off for his previous criminal activities but carried on anyway. He was both arrogant and crooked and most of this town knew it. He has finally got what he deserved and I hope he has a hard time of it. I also knew Ted Grout and he was a man who deserved much better than a lowlife specimen like Totenhofer.

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crazyone says...
9:18am Fri 7 Nov 08

He certainly didn't teach you to spell.Why do we have to have that disgusting place mentioned on nearly every story on here?
"We do not like Jaywick no matter what you say !"

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ivan burit says...
9:40am Fri 7 Nov 08

Never mind crazy,
its called freedom of speach.
And i will excorsize it as and when i please...

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slim Jim says...
1:11pm Fri 7 Nov 08

This man is a parasite ! He got away with this sort of behaviour for years only it was never proved, he deserved 20 years for all the embezzlement stories he has committed. Can anyone tell me if the law society can investigate his actions from 8 years ago?

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michael G says...
2:41pm Fri 7 Nov 08

I think the law society has a duty to respond to ANY complaint about its members, but don't know if this is valid to a member who was struck off ??

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