A woman who stole nearly £300,000 from a vulnerable pensioner with dementia has been jailed. Pamela Gwinnett, 63, posed as a carer to exploit Joan Green, a retired accountant, and used her as a 'cash cow' before fleeing to Tenerife.
Gwinnett appointed herself Power of Attorney and moved into Mrs Green's luxury bungalow in Chorley, Lancashire. She isolated the widow from her family, changed the locks, and switched the landline, while spreading lies about relatives. She spent the stolen money on Botox, lavish meals, and a luxury car.
Arrest and Escape
When arrested, Gwinnett fled to Tenerife to avoid justice. After 16 months on the run, she appeared at Preston Crown Court wearing the same leopard print bomber jacket she wore when returning to the UK.
Mrs Green's grandson, David Bolton, expressed relief: "We are just relieved. We are very happy to finally see her in the dock and sent off to prison. It's been a long time coming."
Sentencing and Judge's Remarks
In October 2025, Judge Michael Maher sentenced Gwinnett to six years for theft and fraud by abuse of position. At today's hearing, he added two more months after she pleaded guilty to a bail act offence.
Judge Maher noted that despite Gwinnett's claimed mental health issues, she was "sufficiently robust to travel outside the UK." He said she had applied to vary her bail to scatter her brother's ashes in Tenerife, but the court was "rightly sceptical" as no evidence of a brother existed. He added, "You apologise through Ms Scott-Bell for what you did. Quite frankly, your apologies stand no weight at all."
Family's Response
Speaking outside court, David Bolton said: "My nan unfortunately died under Pamela Gwinnett's control. Hopefully she didn't believe the lies that Pamela was feeding her. She'll never get justice but we as a family can get on with moving on with the rest of our lives."
Gwinnett was ordered to pay £350,180 to Mrs Green's family under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Property has been seized to recover the money.
