A mother and son from Warrington have been sentenced for systematically stealing thousands of pounds from a terminally ill grandmother during her final months. Linda and Robbie Walkden defrauded 85-year-old Sheila Skelhorn of £8,500 between June 2023 and May 2024, using her bank card for cash withdrawals and online shopping on Amazon and Etsy.
Mrs Skelhorn, who had lung cancer and was an inpatient at hospital in April 2024, was left overdrawn, with an empty fridge, unable to pay bills, and without enough money to cover her own funeral. The crime, described by the judge as "awful, quite abhorrent", was only uncovered after the victim's goddaughter, Carol Nordquist, became suspicious and flew from France to investigate.
Previous conviction for same offence
Robbie Walkden, 36, had already been jailed in 2021 for two counts of fraud against his grandmother. The court heard the family reconciled in June 2023 when Mrs Skelhorn moved to a bungalow in Burtonwood after becoming lonely during the pandemic. Prosecuting counsel Iain Criddle said the defendants "systematically stole money from Mrs Skelhorn's bank account", making numerous small transactions that totalled £8,500, including £2,226.13 taken while she was in hospital.
The pair used a website called SlothMove to redirect Mrs Skelhorn's bank statements to Robbie Walkden, paying for the service from her account. By February 2024, Mrs Skelhorn had become upset upon realising she had less money than expected and was concerned she could not afford food.
Goddaughter's suspicions and arrest
Mrs Nordquist, who held power of attorney, booked a flight from the south of France in February 2024 after growing suspicious. Linda Walkden tried to convince her that Mrs Skelhorn was spending "like there was no tomorrow", including on an automatic bath seat. Both suspects were arrested on July 10 2024, with police recovering a "large quantity" of goods from their home that later turned out to be fake designer items.
Mrs Nordquist told the court she had promised Mrs Skelhorn's late husband John that she would look after his wife. She had suspected Robbie Walkden of taking around £7,000 in 2019 but did not report it after he expressed remorse. The thefts continued, and Mrs Skelhorn died in June 2024. Mrs Nordquist had to pay for the funeral herself because there was not enough money left in the account.
Sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court
Robbie Walkden, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, was jailed for two years. His counsel said he was "embarrassed" and that he suffered from depression, epilepsy, and had lost a long-term partner to suicide in 2016. Linda Walkden, 68, with no previous convictions, received an 18-month sentence suspended for two years with a six-month curfew from 7pm to 7am.
Sentencing, Recorder Emma Fisher told the pair: "Mrs Skelhorn was, at the time, 85 years old. She was in ill health. She had cancer. She died in 2024. She was forgetful. She was hard of hearing and, perhaps worst of all, she trusted you." She added that Robbie Walkden's previous conviction was the most significant aggravating feature: "The fact that you stole from your grandmother, got punished for that with a custodial sentence then went back to steal again, it perplexes me."
