Fraudster Who Fled to Tenerife Is Sentenced for Stealing Elderly Woman's Savings

A woman named Pamela Gwinnett has been sentenced in court after stealing the life savings of an elderly woman she was paid to care for. Gwinnett became the carer of a retired accountant named Joan Green and used that position to take control of her money. When police began to close in, Gwinnett fled to the Spanish island of Tenerife to avoid being arrested. She was eventually caught, brought back to the United Kingdom, and faced a judge for her crimes.

Gwinnett's lawyer told the court that she had run away because of "fear and anxiety" about being arrested and that she also suffered from poor mental health. Her lawyer, Scott Bell, said she believed she was not guilty of the crimes she was charged with. However, the judge was not moved by her words or her apology. Judge Maher told Gwinnett directly: "Frankly your apology carries no weight at all."

The judge had strong words for Gwinnett when he described how she had treated Joan Green. He said she had pretended to be a kind and caring friend in order to gain control over a vulnerable woman. "You set about playing the long game to isolate and control a vulnerable woman and thereby enrich yourself," the judge said. He also said Gwinnett showed no shame at all during her fraud.

To carry out her plan, Gwinnett made false claims against Mrs. Green's stepdaughter and step-grandchild. She accused them of things like theft and neglect, which helped her gain legal control over Mrs. Green's finances. Once she had that control, she used Mrs. Green's money to pay for a lavish lifestyle. Gwinnett bought a car worth £22,500 and spent money on expensive beauty treatments, including Botox injections.

Mrs. Green died in November 2022, and Gwinnett continued to deny any wrongdoing even after her death. Earlier this year, a TV crew from Sky News found Gwinnett outside her apartment in Tenerife and asked her about the stolen money. She refused to answer their questions and insisted she had not taken anything. "I don't need to answer these questions. Did I heck take the money," she told the camera crew.

Judge Maher praised several groups for their work in bringing Gwinnett to justice. He thanked the Crown Prosecution Service in Lancashire, officers from Greater Manchester Police, and the National Crime Agency for getting her extradited, which means brought back from another country to face trial. He also gave special praise to journalists who kept reporting on the case and made sure the public did not forget about it. Gwinnett has now been ordered to pay back all of the money she stole.