Freda Mook: Pensioner whose daughter-in-law Heather embezzled her money and poisoned her son
FREDA Mook became the target of her daughter-in-law Heather’s deceitful scheme to embezzle £43,000 meant for her care.
Heather resorted to poisoning her husband to distract him from her theft.
Who was Freda Mook?
Freda Mook was an elderly woman from York, England and the mother-in-law of Heather Mook.
She was the target of Heather’s criminal actions, as Heather attempted to embezzle £43,000 from her, funds that were meant for Freda’s care in a nursing home.
Freda was largely unaware of the extent of her deceit, which included poisoning her son and Heather’s husband John Mook to distract him while she executed her theft.
How did Heather Mook embezzle her mother-in-law’s money?
Heather embezzled her mother-in-law’s money by attempting to confuse her husband through poisoning, which diverted his attention from her theft.
She poisoned John with rat poison and antidepressants while stealing the £43,000 intended for Freda Mook’s care, which a court heard had vanished after being in Heather’s possession.
The scheme involved Heather administering rat poison mixed into John’s spaghetti along with the antidepressant amitriptyline.
This dangerous combination was designed to make him disoriented, allowing her to carry out the theft without being detected.
Between December 12, 2003, and November 16, 2005, Heather cleared out Freda’s savings and investments, which amounted to £43,000, leaving Freda financially vulnerable when she later moved into a private nursing home in late 2005.
Police investigators were baffled over what Heather did with the stolen funds.
Detective Inspector Nigel Costello of York CID said: “They certainly haven’t been hidden in any assets we have seen.
“We needed some assistance from her.
“She has maybe squandered it on holidays or perhaps even had a debt from before she met Mr. Mook that we never knew about.”
The nursing home bills reached £21,000, but because of Heather’s actions, John Mook began to wonder why the payments were not being met.
The situation escalated when Heather faked medical advice and gave John enough antidepressants to cause severe symptoms, including hallucinations, leading to his hospitalisation.
When John’s daughter witnessed Heather administering more tablets in the hospital, they alerted the police, which eventually led to her arrest.
Heather was sentenced to at least five years in prison after being convicted of two counts of poisoning with intent to endanger life.
Judge James Spencer, QC, said about his decision: “I can tell you that a sentence of imprisonment is inevitable.”
After her conviction, John Mook told the press outside of the court about Heather: “I think she needs some serious help and I hope she gets it.”
It was not Heather’s first encounter with crime, as she had a troubling history of fraud and theft long before her marriage to John Mook.
Her previous offences included manipulating friends for over £20,000 and using fraudulent means to acquire expensive cars.
She also poisoned her then seven-year-old daughter in 1982 by putting antidepressants into her child’s food.