A woman who tricked a dementia sufferer into believing she was his daughter before stealing from him has been jailed. Natalie Riley, 44, of Geneva Road in Kensington, was caught on CCTV by the victim's niece, who remotely watched the intruder breaking into her uncle's home.
Caught on CCTV
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday that the complainant, who lives alone on Great Newton Street in Liverpool city centre, suffers from "quite advanced" dementia. His niece had set up cameras within the property to enable family members to check on his welfare.
At around 6pm on July 12 this year, the niece received a phone notification alerting her to the CCTV system being activated. She saw footage of Riley entering through the front door and telling her uncle that she was his daughter.
Theft of household items
The defendant was seen searching a number of rooms, including rifling through the pockets of a jacket, before venturing upstairs, which was not covered by cameras. She subsequently retrieved a bin bag from the kitchen sink and placed a number of items in it.
With the cameras fitted with speakers allowing remote communication, the niece told Riley to "put back what you've taken and get out". But she replied that she was "selling things" to the victim and denied stealing any property.
It was later found that Riley had taken a packet of Fairy washing up tablets and fabric softener from the address. She has 37 previous convictions for 85 offences, including 40 which were "acquisitive in nature" and a robbery in 2004.
Sentencing
Ken Heckle, defending, said: "When the defendant is drug free, as she sits before the court, she realises the meanness and seriousness of this particular offence. Sadly, when the need for class A drugs is there, that is all blocked out."
He added that Riley was brought up by parents who were both class A drug addicts, and at 18 she became a drug addict herself. She managed to become drug free in custody in 2022 and got a job with Signature Living, but relapsed in January 2023 after her father died, and later her brother James Riley died in custody.
Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: "This was a particularly mean offence, to prey on somebody who is particularly vulnerable and to trick your way into their house with a view, I have no doubt, to steal money or anything of value that you could lay your hands on."
Riley admitted one count of burglary. Appearing via video link to HMP Styal, she was imprisoned for three years and handed a five-year restraining order.
