Carer jailed for defrauding elderly woman

Merseyside Police have confirmed that a Halewood man has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for defrauding the bank account of a deceased woman for whom he was previously the carer.

Paul McFadden, 39, of Azalea Grove, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today (Thursday 1 December) after pleading guilty at a hearing last month.

McFadden had previously been a carer for the victim, who was in her 80s, and between March 2020 and May 2021, made false representation to Santander Bank that he was entitled to withdraw money from her account. He had been dismissed from his role in 2020 for gross misconduct on unrelated matters. However, with no authority of the care provider, he continued to visit the victim as a personal arrangement, under the guise of friendship.

The fraud was uncovered by the family of the victim following her death in May 2021, when they became suspicious about financial matters. It was found that a total of £115,304.41 was fraudulently obtained from her bank account, emptying her savings account and leaving just £87.53 in her current account.

Detective Inspector Richie Shillito from our Economic Crime Team said: "The scale and regularity of this fraud was astounding, made even more so by the fact that McFadden had previously provided care to the victim, an elderly and vulnerable lady. He took advantage of the pandemic to take control of her finances prior to her death, unbeknownst to her family.

"To essentially empty all of her life savings is callous in the extreme. The brazenness of McFadden to continue visiting his victim, and lead her to believe he was a friend, makes his offending all the more serious, and perhaps he will reflect on the distress and harm he has caused to the victim's family, on top of them losing a beloved family member."

"If you suspect that you or someone you know is the victim of fraud, Action Fraud and police forces will take action to prevent the untold harm that it can cause."

For more information about fraud and fraud prevention:

Action Fraud is the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre. If you believe you have been a victim of fraud you can contact them on 0300 123 2040 or go to www.actionfraud.police.uk