Market Drayton woman who preyed on elderly male victim jailed
A Market Drayton woman was yesterday convicted at Shrewsbury Crown Court in respect of 20 counts of dishonesty which included theft, fraud and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Susan Weston, 63 of Abbey Way, Market Drayton, pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to four years, four months imprisonment. She will serve half that period and be released on licence for the remainder.
Weston preyed on an elderly male victim when he moved to Market Drayton over 15 years ago; he cared for a relative with a learning disability and Weston was quickly able to convince him that she was a good and friendly neighbour who cared for his well-being.
She isolated him from others and in so doing ensured that she continued her course of conduct undetected until police intervention in 2014. It is considered that she stole almost £100,000 from him during a time when his living accommodation had deteriorated to such an extent that his furniture had to be replaced, an extensive upgrade was required to the property and it was eventually completely redecorated.
Weston spent the victims' money on various luxury goods for herself which included furniture, clothing, holidays, beauty treatments, gifts for others and a pet cremation. She regularly paid for car insurance and utility bills of her own and other close associates whilst at times leaving the victims accounts in arrears and incurring bank charges.
Information was shared with partner agencies and a separate investigation found disability benefit allowances had been claimed by Weston to which she was not entitled totalling £16,326.40.
A further charge of theft in relation to a separate elderly gentleman allegedly targeted in a similar manner by Weston was left on file - he sadly passed away whilst the court case was in progress.
Specialist officers of West Mercia Police's Adults at Risk Unit (North) undertook the entire enquiry. An anonymous report prompted a visit to the victims' home and it was soon established a crime had been committed. The extent of that crime astounded everyone involved.
DC Pauline Newton said: "Susan Weston was not prepared to face the consequences of her own actions and later made contact with the victim asking that he drop the case against her. Her dishonesty permeated all her dealings with many professional agencies as she denied the offences in their entirety throughout the investigation.
"Unfortunately it is a regular occurrence to be told of elderly people who are being befriended by the unscrupulous in the guise of providing care who are driven by greed, and intent only on personal financial gain regardless of the impact on the victim.
"This type of crime will be robustly investigated by West Mercia & Warwickshire Police and those responsible will be held accountable.
"Asset recovery action is now being pursued in respect of all convictions."
