Gran Stole £25,000 From Dying Dad To Splurge In Bars And Ann Summers
A grandma has splashed thousands of pounds worth of stolen cash on lingerie and drinks.
If I had some extra money, I would likely spend it on similar purchases.
However, the means by which 74-year-old Jeanette Lee went about getting a whopping £25,000 are extremely questionable and have had severe consequences.
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The 74-year-old stole the money from her father who suffers from dementia and is currently living in a care home.
Lee robbed money from her dad for two years after taking charge of his affairs in 2015 according to Prosecutor Hal Ewing.
An investigation was launched into the grandma by the government department, the Office of Public Guardian (OPG) which 'helps people in England and Wales to stay in control of decisions about their health and finance'.
The government body works within the Mental Capacity Act of 2005 and polices those who are put in charge of other's financial affairs in order to protect those who don't have the mental capacity to look after their affairs themselves.
After investigating Lee, it withdrew the 74-year-old's responsibility of looking after her father's finances.
A total of £63,430 was found missing from the man's account Derby Crown Court were told by the prosecution.
However, the defendant was only proven to be connected to £25,000 of it.
Prosecutor Hal Ewing said: "She said she used some expenditure to help her father and spent other amounts in bars and at Ann Summers."
Lee faced one count of fraud by abuse of position. She pleaded guilty.
The 74-year-old received an 18-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
She has also had an electronic tag fitted to her wrist which will enforce a four-month curfew during her suspended sentence.
Between 7:00am and 7:00pm, Lee must subsequently remain at her home address. However, in late August she has been allowed to attend her granddaughter's wedding.
Judge Shaun Smith QC addressed Lee, noting how the 74-year-old had 'helped [herself] to money [she] would have got anyway upon [her] father's death'.
"What you did did not affect the quality of his life or make things difficult for him as his income allowed him to be comfortable in the care home.
"It had no detrimental effect on him but that you were entitled to the money in due course is no reason to help yourself to his money," he reflected.
The judge concluded: "It is always sad to see any person in the dock charged with a criminal offence but you are there having reached the age of 74 and having never been in trouble before and that is even sadder."
Poppy Bilderbeck