Six people have appeared at Liverpool Crown Court this year after betraying the trust of friends, family, clients or co-workers. Their crimes ranged from stealing from vulnerable elderly relatives to defrauding employers and neighbours.
Linda and Robbie Walkden
A mum and son stole thousands of pounds from grandmother Sheila Skelhorn during her final year of life, spending the money on Amazon and Etsy. They took more than £2,000 of her money while she was lying in a hospital bed.
Ms Skelhorn was left unable to pay her bills, in her overdraft and with an empty fridge as a result of their "awful, abhorrent" crime. She ultimately had insufficient funds to pay for her own funeral when she died of lung cancer in June 2024.
Robbie Walkden had previously been jailed for stealing from his grandma only two years before he began scamming her again. The scheme was uncovered when Ms Skelhorn's goddaughter became suspicious and travelled from France to Warrington to investigate.
Barbara Roberts
Roberts embarked on a two-year "deception" after pocketing £13,000 of her dead aunt's money. She was appointed as executor and trustee of the estate of Eileen Charnock, who died aged 90 in March 2022.
As part of the will, Roberts and the deceased's niece Susan Corrie were each due to receive a 50/50 share in the £175,000 profits from the sale of her house. But she took an extra £13,441.71 for herself. She then claimed that her bank account had been hacked and blamed her financial woes on "issues with British Gas".
Belinda Roberts
Roberts stole more than £60,000 from the solicitors firm where she worked. She "systematically abused her position of trust and control" to obtain the cash, which she partially used to fund her gambling habit.
She was employed as a cashier by Glaisyers Solicitors LLP, based on Exchange Flags in Liverpool city centre. She had been due to attend training on November 17 last year, but requested to work remotely as she was unwell. This led Carolyn Smith, who was leading the training session, to notice a "series of unexplained transactions" in the banking records.
Sam McGee
McGee, a Barclays employee who worked as a treasurer, defrauded his neighbours for more than £260,000. He was tasked with looking after dozens of people's finances in his role on the Kirkby-based Ravenscroft Re-Build Co-operative Limited committee.
McGee, whose mum acted as the housing co-op's secretary, stole the money to fund his online gambling addiction. He covered his tracks by intercepting letters sent to his mum's house and providing false audit documents to committee meetings. By the time McGee owned up to his crime in November 2024, the funds had been drained and the community account was in the red.
Paula Leyland
Leyland plundered an elderly woman's bank account and squandered her savings on holidays, takeaways, beauty products and trips to the tanning salon. The 37-year-old was employed as a home carer for the vulnerable 84-year-old victim after she fell and broke her hip three years ago.
Leyland worked for Bluebird, a care company engaged to look after the victim between September 2022 and May 2023 while she recovered from her injury. When Bluebird's services came to an end, Leyland continued to visit the woman, using her bank card and PIN to do her shopping for her. The victim, a widow who lived alone, had no idea Leyland was using the money for her own gain, and she even gifted the mum-of-three £4,000 for the purchase of new carpets and blinds.
