A former B.C. government case worker who defrauded mentally incompetent clients for financial gain was sentenced to six years in jail in a North Vancouver courtroom Monday.
Bryan Michael Tickell, now 30, was hired by the office of the Public Guardian and Public Trustee of B.C. in 2006 after lying about both his academic credentials and work record.
Phyllis Lowdell was defrauded out of a piece of property after Tickell took over her finances when it was deemed she was incapable of handling her own affairs.
"I'm glad it's over," Lowdell said Monday.
Neighbour Ross Henderson has taken care of Lowdell since 2005 after she took a sharp decline in health and was moved into a North Vancouver senior's home. He says she had no family to help.
"She was living alone she was not nourished we tried to help her," Henderson said.
Shortly after Tickell took over her case, he forged documents to acquire a Maple Ridge property that she owned for "$1.00, plus love and affection." He then flipped the property and sold it for a million dollars.
Tickell was caught after naming himself as a beneficiary in another client's will.
Jay Chalke, the head of the Public Guardian's office, said Tickell went out of his way to obscure his true identity, claiming to have experience dealing with vulnerable clients.
"He had taken a number of steps to conceal his past and we did not detect those," Chalke said.
"The good news is since then we have made a number of changes to our employment hiring practices."
Ross Henderson says Monday's sentencing shows that justice has been served.
"I think the courts have sent a strong message that you just don't taken advantage of those who can't look after themselves," he said.
Meanwhile, Lowdell, who got her money back, has some sharp words for her former case worker.
"He just thinks he's damned smart that's all," Lowdell said. "That's why he did it in the first place."
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson
