'Cruel' Chesterfield conwoman jailed for stealing from vulnerable gran

Joelle Foster, 34, won the trust of the 88-year-old pensioner while working as her cleaner in Newbold.

She swiped a bankcard and stole £1,000 from the woman by withdrawing cash during November 2018, Chesterfield magistrates’ court was told.

After Foster, of Wimborne Crescent, Newbold, was jailed for 52 weeks, the pensioner’s daughter, Toni Randell, said her mother had been left ‘distraught’ and ‘distrustful’.

MORE: Chesterfield mum conned more than £1000 from 'vulnerable, elderly lady'

“You do everything you can to keep elderly people safe and then find that someone you trust is stealing from them under your nose,” Toni said.

“She befriended us and won our trust. Mum is distraught that something like this could happen to her in her own home.

“She has since become very distrustful of other people.

“It is a very cruel thing to do and my concern is she may have done it to other vulnerable people.”

On three occasions during November 2018, Foster went to a cashpoint at a Tesco store to withdraw £200 for the old lady.

But on November 21 and 28, Foster withdrew an additional £300 on both occasions, and on November 30, a further £500.

And on November 19, 2019, Foster withdrew the £200 as usual, and pocketed £50, telling the woman that no more was available from the machine at that time.

The court was told that Foster had a conviction for a similar matter from October 2018, when she had removed £60 from a safe belonging to another elderly client.

For this she had been given a period of unpaid work.

Foster admitted three counts of fraud and one of theft.

Defending, David Gittins, said that at the time of the offences, Foster was suffering from postnatal depression.

District Judge Jonathan Taaffe described it as ‘an incredibly serious matter’ to be targeting elderly and vulnerable victims.

Toni thanked Nationwide for being ‘absolutely fantastic’ throughout the case and returning the money to her mum.