Sarah Somerset-How: Woman, 49, used disabled husband as 'cash cow', slept with his caretaker
CHICHESTER, WEST SUSSEX: Sarah Somerset-How, a 49-year-old woman, has been accused of “enslaving” her husband Tom Somerset-How, who is partially blind and has cerebral palsy, for 10 years while having an affair with his carer George Webb, 50. The duo has also been accused of using Mr Somerset-How, 40, as a “cash cow” to swindle him out of his $15,017 inheritance.
A Portsmouth Crown Court jury was told that Mrs Somerset-How and Webb bought luxury items with the cash Mr Somerset-How received from his relatives while keeping him a “prisoner in his own home” and treating him “like a piece of property,” the Daily Mail noted. Mrs Somerset-How and Webb are currently on trial charged with holding a person in slavery, fraud, theft, and ill-treatment by a care worker, the outlet mentioned. The latter is also facing an additional charge of ABH against Mr Somerset-How for allegedly hitting him with a shoe.
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Tom Somerset-How was left in bed ‘90 percent of the time’
During a recent court hearing, prosecutors told jurors that Mr Somerset-How first met his wife through one of the latter’s work friends in 2008. At the time, the man was living in sheltered accommodation and recovering from surgery. The duo eventually moved into a purpose-built bungalow in Chichester, West Sussex in 2010 before being provided with 24-hour care paid for by social services during the week. Back in 2016, Webb arrived at Mr Somerset-How’s house as his carer and began living with the couple in the same home. He reportedly charged $5,007 a month for private care services. Shortly after, Mrs Somerset-How and Webb, allegedly left Mr Somerset-How, who is wheelchair-bound and requires 24-hour care, in bed for 90 percent of the time, the Daily Mail reported.
Prosecutors claimed they only left Mr Somerset-How with a packet of crisps and a sandwich for food, allowed him to shower once a week, and left him to go without brushing his teeth for a whole year. They also claimed that the pair planned to “ostracise” Mr Somerset-How from his family. The lawyers said Mr Somerset-How finally raised an alarm about the treatment in front of a friend who alerted his parents. His family then staged a rescue with police and social services following nearly 10 years of offenses between January 2010 and December 2020. Prosecutors described the rescue as “an operation that had the marks of extracting someone as a hostage,” the outlet noted.
‘Every aspect of his life was controlled’
Prosecutor Paul Cavin said that the offenses on Mr Somerset-How were “deliberate exploitation and effective enslavement.” “Tom was born with cerebral palsy and is badly affected by it. He is wheelchair-bound and has required 24-hour care and assistance with everything since his birth. His eyesight is almost to the point of blindness. He is a highly intelligent man with a degree. The defendants treated him like a piece of property instead of a person they should have cared for,” the lawyer said while describing Mr Somerset-How’s condition.
He shared that the victim told the police that “the level of care they gave to him was barely existent” and “it was the bare minimum to ensure he was alive.” The prosecutor added, “This was all for a reason, not for lack of skills. In 2010, the defendant commenced an affair and thought to conceal it from him. But he was vital to their relationship - he provided them with a source of income.” “They sought to isolate him from friends and family. He was not allowed to call people without one of them being present. He was their cash cow. They plundered his finances, spending $15,017 of his inheritance,” Calvin added while detailing Mr Somerset-How’s situation.
“Every aspect of his life was controlled. His remaining independence he had was taken away from him by the defendants… He was entirely dependent on his abusers to stay alive,” he continued. “Tom received money from family members, which was taken by the defendants without his consent. This was spent on DJ equipment, as Mr Webb would DJ as a hobby, lingerie and paying off credit cards. Mr Webb's salary payments were over and above,” the prosecutor added.
Calvin further told the court that Mr Somerset-How’s mother made an unexpected visit to his house and saw Webb getting aggressive by saying that they needed notice if she was visiting. Mr Somerset-How later confirmed to social services that he was being ill-treated. Shortly after, “extraction date” was set for five days later. Police officers, social services, and family members came together to rescue Mr Somerset-How and arrested his wife and carer. “He became a victim of modern slavery, we argue. He was effectively imprisoned in his own home,” the prosecutor said while concluding his opening statement. Both Mrs Somerset-How and Webb have denied the charges made against them. The trial is reportedly expected to last four weeks.