Carer who stole £125k from elderly man jailed

A carer who stole more than £125,000 from a "vulnerable" man she gained power of attorney over has been jailed.

A court heard Anne Hill used the money to fund her online gambling habit and to book a 28-day family holiday to Turkey, which was later cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

The 57-year-old also took money from a lifetime mortgage on Louis Woodward's bungalow in Blyth, Nottinghamshire, before trying to sell the property against his wishes, police said.

Hill was jailed for six years at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday after previously being found guilty of five counts of fraud and another of perverting the course of justice.

Nottinghamshire Police said Hill was appointed as Mr Woodward's power of attorney in May 2018.

Between August 2019 and her arrest in April 2021, Hill emptied his current and savings account, leaving them overdrawn, before releasing equity from his mortgage on three occasions.

She told legal representatives the mortgage money was needed to pay for carers, a mobility scooter and adaptations to his home.

However, police said there was no evidence of this and the money was transferred into Hill's bank account.

Mr Woodward's friends became concerned about Hill's influence over him after she attempted to sell his home and informed social services, which then involved the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), which oversees power of attorney.

A trial heard Hill forged a letter to the OPG from one of Mr Woodward’s friends to support her case.

Mr Woodward, who died during the early stages of the investigation at the age of 86, told police he did not give her any money but had helped with mechanics bills and given her a loan to buy a new car.

The police investigation uncovered a long-term gambling habit, pre-dating Hill's appointment as Mr Woodward's power of attorney.

Between then and her arrest in April 2021, she incurred net gambling losses of £108,251.91 across more than 17,000 individual transactions.

Judge Mark Watson said: "This was a betrayal of the very significant trust placed in you.

"You deliberately targeted him because of his vulnerabilities.

"You took what you wanted, when you wanted it, stripping him of his life savings and then trying to take even more."

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