An Emmy award-winning film writer’s carer has admitted stealing more than £75,000 from him shortly before his death to fuel his gambling addiction.

Allan Beacham admitted plundering the finances of celebrated Thunderbirds writer Alan Pattillo after being ‘entrusted’ to care for him.

Whilst living in a house bought for him by Mr Pattillo, Beacham stole thousands of pounds from the blind and immobile pensioner to ‘dig himself out of the hole’ which he had created through gambling.

It was previously heard Beacham, 66, had spent £25,000 on lottery tickets and would regularly steal cash from the ‘vulnerable pensioner’ to fuel this addiction.

After some £75,000 had gone missing out of Mr Pattillo’s finances, ‘dishonest’ Beacham was unable to offer any ‘real explanation for the unaccounted funds’, prosecutors said.

Now, the carer has pleaded guilty to stealing cash from the celebrated pensioner.

Left-right: Carer Allan Beacham who has today pleaded guilty with writer Alan Pattillo

Mr Pattillo, who died aged 90 in January 2020 having had Parkinson’s, was a Scottish director and writer, and directed the first ever episode of Thunderbirds in 1965.

After he retired he moved to Aberdeenshire in Scotland and Beacham, who was then employed by care firm Miracle Workers, would visit his home to care for him.

A trial into Beacham’s theft commenced at Salisbury Crown Court, Wiltshire, in June last year – but was halted after a series of lengthy delays.

In the court opening held last year, jurors heard how in 2017 Mr Pattillo moved 550 miles away to Salisbury to be closer to his family and brought Beacham with him as his personal full-time carer.

Beacham earned a £40,000 annual salary and agreed to move to Salisbury with the pensioner ‘on the condition’ that he bought him a house to reside in.

The carer, in control of Mr Pattillo’s finances as his health declined, allegedly abused his power by requesting money from his lawyers Batt Broadbent to pay for Mr Pattillo’s expenses.

Allan Beacham admitted plundering the finances of celebrated Thunderbirds writer Alan Pattillo unknowingly after being ‘entrusted his care’ for him

The court heard Mr Pattillo was hard of hearing, registered blind and struggled to communicate.

Thomas Evans, prosecuting, previously told jurors that when Mr Pattillo moved from Scotland to Salisbury his average monthly cash expenditure jumped from £258.33 to £4607.

Mr Evans said that Beacham’s bank statements showed that had spent more than £25,000 on lottery tickets in a 19-month window.

Mr Evans said: ‘[Beacham] developed an addiction to gambling and that he continually sought to dig himself out of the hole he had made for himself by stealing from a vulnerable pensioner who had entrusted his care to him.’

The ‘most egregious example’ of expenditure was Beacham’s requests for money to cover private dental treatment, Mr Evans said.

Between April 2017 and June 2019 a total of £30,408 was requested from Batt Broadbent to cover dental work but Mr Evans said the true cost paid to The Private Treatment Centre was just £4,298.99.

In an interview, Beacham said he would spend £15 twice per week to take Mr Pattillo’s 2018 Nissan Qashqai to a car cleaner but claims he never received a receipt.

Other alleged offences include £750 being withdrawn for a wedding gift for niece Constance Pattillo-Heigh when in reality a £30 gift voucher was given to her and her husband.

Alan Pattillo who died in January 2020. He was 90 and had been living with Parkinson’s disease

Beacham also allegedly requested £500 to pay for a birthday party deposit at a hotel for Mr Pattillo’s 90th birthday which never ended up happening and the money was not returned to Batt Broadbent.

Once this money had been requested and deposited into Mr Pattillo’s current account, hundreds of pounds were withdrawn from ATMs multiple times per week.

Between January 1 in 2017 and June 1 in 2019, £75,000 was unaccounted for, the court heard.

In the opening, the prosecutor said: ‘It is the Crown’s case that [Beacham] took the property dishonestly and with the intention of permanently depriving him.

‘The extent of the unaccounted funds, highlights [Beacham’s] intentional and dishonest abuse of his position of trust within [Mr Pattillo’s] life.

‘[Beacham’s] account in interview is inconsistent, incoherent and, in a number of instances, demonstrably untrue: he offers no real explanation for the unaccounted funds.’

Paralegal Alison Bamber worked at Batt Broadbent during the time the alleged offences took place and was responsible for approving the requests for money, most of which were never accompanied by receipts.

An Emmy award-winning film writer’s carer has admitted stealing more than £75,000 from him shortly before his death to fuel his gambling addiction

Solicitor Rachel Catherine Wilson took over from Ms Bamber and became involved in Mr Pattillo’s file in April 2019.

Speaking in court last year, she said: ‘I was dumbstruck at the number of cash withdrawals. I estimated £75k was withdrawn over the time Mr Pattillo had been with Batt Broadbent.’

Ms Wilson informed Mr Pattillo’s attorney who telephoned his bank to put a stop to his cards. She added: ‘My concerns were sufficiently grave enough to inform the police straight away.’

In May 2019 Beacham’s employment contract was terminated.

Nephew Alistair Pattillo told the court about the state of Mr Pattillo’s flat during the time Mr Beacham had been looking after him.

He said: ‘The condition of the flat was extremely dirty and untidy. Carpets had been eaten by bugs and every surface was dirty.’

A new trial into the case had been due to start today. However, Beacham, now living in Wootton, Kent, instead pleaded guilty to one charge of theft.

He will be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court, Hampshire, in March.