Pensioner's funeral money 'gone' amid ashes and cash probe at Glasgow parlour

A Scots man fears his elderly mother's funeral plan savings at a parlour under investigation are 'gone for good' amid allegations of missing ashes and financial irregularity.

Denis Lyon's mum took out a deal with A Milne Funeral Directors in 2018 so her family didn't have to worry about funeral costs but now her family worry that she will never see the £2,000 she paid again, reports Glasgow Live.

Denis Lyon's mum decided that she didn't want her family to worry about paying for a service after she passed, so in 2018 the 80-year-old visited A Milne Funeral Directors and agreed a deal.

Named Operation Koine, a probe was launched earlier this year into the former funeral firm that had branches in Springburn and Dumbarton.

Forensic teams were seen combing through the premises in an 11-day earch earlier this month which started on Friday, May 3.

Denis said: "I'm watching my mum worry. She paid the money up in full. We've tried to contact them but we've heard nothing.

"It's not even the money anymore, it's about the unnecessary stress my mum is now under. It's hard to watch her suffer but it's her life savings she has put into that.

"I feel so sorry for some of the pensioners who might have lost a lot of money. It has wrecked so many lives."

Pre-paid funeral plans are typically purchased by individuals or their loved ones to cover future funeral expenses in advance. Before July 2022, these plans were sold without regulatory oversight. However, they are now regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

To sell these plans, a company must either be authorized by the FCA or act as an appointed representative of an authorized firm.

Plans sold before the regulatory change should have been transferred to an authorized organization or refunded to the customers.

Until its website was taken down this month, A Milne Independent Funeral Directors displayed the Golden Charter logo, one of the UK's largest funeral plan providers. Golden Charter requested the removal of their logo from the page.

It has since been confirmed that the Glasgow funeral home was never an appointed representative of Golden Charter.

Samantha Wotherspoon is another victim of the parlour and told Glasgow Live she's been waiting on her father-in-law's, Dennis Smillie, ashes for three years. The beloved grandfather paid around £840 into what he believed was a funeral plan before passing in 2021.

The Golden Charter logo is clearly printed at the bottom of his funeral plan and the concerned woman claims there was no record of a pre-paid funeral plan with the firm.

She said: "I feel angry about the whole situation.

"He went in there to pay money towards a funeral plan and we don't know where it is. He was paying this in good faith and I can't understand how someone can break our trust.

"There are maybe older people who still think they are paying into a funeral plan."

A Milne Independent Funeral Directors sold a small number of Golden Charter plans according to the firm with the last recorded sale occurring in 2021.

An individual who wishes to remain anonymous has revealed that her mum paid the parlour £1,727.14 into what she believed was a pre-paid funeral plan at the end of 2021 following the death of her partner.

They explained: "My step-father had died four years ago and we went to A Milne.

"It was a direct cremation and I can't fault them, everything went fine. My mum decided that she wanted to pay for hers.

"She paid the full amount to Ashleigh and believed it was going into a funeral plan. I know that there was no funeral plan under my mum's name with Golden Charter.

"Steven told us that we had nothing to worry about but then he said it would take 100 days if we wanted a refund. My mum trusted them.

"It is absolutely sickening that someone has done this. My nerves are shot to pieces, I'm worried about the impact it could have on her.

"I'm now effectively having to lie to my mum because I don't want to worry her. Now if anything does happen to her I will need to come up with that money.

"It's scary that something like this could happen because you don't think in that profession someone could dream of doing something like that."

Golden Charter has since confirmed it is prioritising anyone who believes they have received a fraudulent plan from the former Glasgow and Dumbarton based firm.

A spokesperson from the organisation said: “We have great sympathy for anyone affected by these events. We understand customers of A. Milne Independent Funeral Directors may have unanswered questions and be feeling let down and frustrated.

“We’re ready to support anyone who may have been misled into thinking they were purchasing a Golden Charter funeral plan from A. Milne Independent Funeral Directors. The best thing to do is to send us copies of your paperwork and we will be able to ascertain very quickly if the plan is genuine or not.

“Our staff are aware of the issue and ready to prioritise these requests. So if you are in that situation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.”

According to Companies House, Steven or Ashleigh Milne are the current or former directors of three funeral companies which have been subject to compulsory strike off orders.

Dumbarton Funeral Homes, where Ashleigh is noted as a former director and Milne Funerals LTD, where the pair are still active directors, currently have active proposals to strike off.

A MILNE FUNERAL DIRECTORS LTD, where Steven Milne is the sole director, faced a compulsory strike off order in October 2022 which was suspended.

The firm is set to be discussed by the National Association of Funeral Directors this month

A spokesperson from the organisation said: “We can confirm that the NAFD has received a number of complaints about A Milne, which have been scrutinised by our Committee for Professional Standards.

"The firm appears to have stopped corresponding with us, however they have been formally notified that they will be considered by the NAFD Disciplinary Committee at a meeting this month. Under the terms of reference of the committee, we do not publicly disclose the details of complaints made.

"As a trade association, we have no statutory powers and regulate purely by consent, therefore expulsion from membership is the most severe penalty at our disposal.”

Police enquiries are still ongoing.

Detective Inspector Gerry Shovlin, Clydebank CID, said: "This is a very sensitive and emotive case and we recognise the upset and distress that families have experienced.

"Our investigation has been going on for several weeks now and will continue for some time, due to the level of enquiry that will need to be followed up.

"It is a complex inquiry that involves a number of agencies, but families can be reassured that the ashes of their loved ones are a priority and will be treated with the utmost respect."

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