A Lancashire woman has been sentenced for fraud after taking more than £30,000 from the proceeds of the sale of her grandmother's home, leaving the pensioner to "die a pauper".
Dannielle Ramsbotham, 34, of Brownedge Lane, Bamber Bridge, was appointed deputy to her nan's estate when the pensioner developed dementia and moved into a nursing home. Instead of safeguarding her nan's assets, she used the money for her own rent, meals out and other personal items.
Crime discovered after funeral costs unpaid
The crime was only discovered when Ramsbotham's auntie contacted the funeral director to arrange for her mum's ashes and learned the funeral costs had not been paid. There was not enough money to pay for the funeral when the nan died in October 2018.
Preston Crown Court heard how Ramsbotham's mum had originally applied to the Court of Protection for deputyship when her mum became unable to manage her own affairs. However, the application was refused as she had been declared bankrupt and she instructed her daughter to take on the role.
Judge's remarks
"Whatever initial reluctance there may have been you quickly and zealously enjoyed the spoils of your fraud," Judge Michael Maher said as he sentenced Ramsbotham. "What you did was appalling. The simple and fundamental requirement was for you to safeguard your grandma's money. What you did, in fact, was to rinse the account using it as your own piggybank."
Analysis of Ramsbotham's bank account showed money transferred to her sister's account, with references to sex toys and drug dealers - but the court heard the references were a joke between the women.
"When this money hit your account in December 2017 you must have thought you had won the Christmas lottery," Judge Maher said. "You had nothing in your own account. Within 10 months your grandmother's estate had bled out of your account. You had spent the lot. Your grandmother died a pauper. Dementia robbed her of her capacity. The only small mercy is that she did not realise her own grandchild had taken advantage of her desperate neurological condition."
Sentence
The judge accepted Ramsbotham had paid some money back but said the consequences extended far beyond the financial loss. He noted she has no previous convictions, works as a support worker in adult social care, and has three children who rely on her for support.
Judge Maher handed down a sentence of 14 months suspended for 12 months with 150 hours of unpaid work and five days of rehabilitation activity requirements. He ordered her to return to court having completed the lion's share of the sentence.
"If you seek to play the bleeding heart violin with me, 'I've got three children, I haven't got time', bring a bag with you because there will be one direction you are going and that is down those stairs," Judge Maher said.
