Chesterfield woman, 74, stole £25,000 from father - spending money at Ann Summers and in bars

A judge told Jeanette Lee she had “helped herself” to money which she would have got anyway upon her father’s death.

Derby Crown Court heard a total of £63,430 went missing from Lee’s father’s account - however the prosecution had accepted Lee’s guilty plea for £25,000.

Pensioner Lee applied to be made deputy for her father’s financial affairs in 2015 when his condition deteriorated - six years after his initial diagnosis.

However she was removed from the role in July 2017 by the court of protection - which was “concerned about large amounts of money being misused”.

Hal Ewing, prosecuting, said some of the “expenditure clearly wasn’t for (her father’s) benefit”.

He said: “For example, money spent on wine, also some spent at bars and at the Ann Summers shop.”

Mr Ewing described how an investigation conducted by the office of the public guardian “produced various receipts for fast food”.

While Lee claimed another receipt for £28,000 had come from a “loan shark” or “friend or acquaintance of her father” who he had borrowed money from.

The court heard Lee’s father had an income of nearly £30,000 a year from “various pensions” - which would have covered the care home fees of £25,000.

However Mr Ewing added: “That could have been extra income accruing in his accounts.”

Lee, of Wingerworth Way, Grangewood, who had no previous convictions, admitted fraud by abuse of position on the day of her trial.

Judge Shaun Smith QC told Lee “It’s always sad to see any person in the dock charged with criminal offences but when they’ve reached the age of 74 and never been in trouble before it’s even sadder.

“Between 2015 and 2017 you accepted that you helped yourself to money which in the end you would have got anyway upon your father’s death.

“What you did did not affect his quality of life - income from various payments allowed him to be kept comfortable in the care home and receive the help he needed.

“Your offending had no detrimental effect at all but the court must allow consideration of prison sentences where people abuse positions of trust when managing other people’s financial affairs.”

Lee was jailed for 18 months suspended for 18 months.

The judge told Lee the prosecution had applied for a proceeds of crime hearing “to see if they can get any money from you” and it would take place in August.

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