A handyman has been sentenced to three years in prison for a shocking and sustained fraud against an elderly woman in her eighties, stealing more than £100,000 from her savings over three years.
A Calculated Betrayal of Trust
Simon Appleby, 40, from Bucknell, near Knighton in Powys, first met the victim when he was employed as her cleaner. After the cleaning company ceased trading, he continued to visit the pensioner, performing small tasks like painting her garage and changing light bulbs.
Exploiting the trust he had built, Appleby convinced the vulnerable woman to allow him access to her online banking to pay himself for supposed work. Between September 2019 and December 2022, he made 41 payments to himself, totalling £102,627. He claimed some payments were for materials for jobs like replacing a garage door, which was never actually done.
The Final, Heartless Transaction
The fraud reached a new low as the victim's health failed. Appleby visited the woman in hospital to confirm she was unconscious. He then let himself into her home and, on 12 December 2022, made one last payment to himself of £15,000. The pensioner died in hospital just one hour later.
The victim's family later contacted police with concerns about the substantial payments made to Appleby over the 39-month period. Despite Appleby's initial claim that there was "no issue" with him accessing her account, he later pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
Justice Served and a Warning to Others
Detective Constable Emily Cooke of West Mercia Police welcomed the sentence. "Appleby's actions were a shameful abuse of trust, targeting a vulnerable woman who relied on him for help and support," she said.
"He knowingly exploited that trust for personal gain, and to take more than £100,000 from her over an extended period was deeply dishonest and morally inexcusable. The fact that he continued to pay himself even as she lay unconscious in hospital shows the extent of his deceit."
DC Cooke commended the victim's family for coming forward and added: "I hope this sentence sends a clear message that those who exploit vulnerable people for financial gain, we will investigate and put them before the courts."
Appleby was unable to provide any proof of purchases for the materials he claimed to have bought, further exposing the fraudulent nature of his claims.
