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Jailed: Croydon carer behind bars after stealing from elderly patients

Summary:

Maria Anderson was sentenced to six years in prison.

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By SWLondoner staff

A calculating care worker from Croydon has been jailed for six years after she stole £300,000 from the vulnerable people she was looking after.

Maria Anderson, of Melfort Road in Thornton Heath, was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on Wednesday after being found guilty of five counts of fraud, two counts of theft and two counts of removing criminal property.

The 49-year-old, who came to England from Jamaica in 2001, preyed on two vulnerable women aged 87 and 91.

She used her position to gain their trust and isolate them from their relatives and friends, and instead embed herself into their lives.

Taking advantage of their inability to manage their financial affairs, she took at least £300,000 from them and gained power of attorney in order to profit from the sale of their properties.

Detective Inspector Shaun White, from Lambeth’s Public Protection Unit, said the victims and their families can now be assured that justice has been done.

“Anderson is a calculating individual who preyed on vulnerable elderly adults,” he said.

“Instead of helping those who needed it most, she defrauded unsuspecting elderly victims of their savings for her own benefit.

“I hope this sentence sends out a warning to others that we are determined to pursue anyone involved in this type of criminality and bring them before the courts.”

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