Gambling addict carer fleeced aged man out of £125,000

A carer who drained the £125,000 life savings of an elderly man she was looking after to feed her gambling addiction and a take lavish month-long holiday has been jailed for six years.

Anne Hill, of Harworth, Nottinghamshire, gained power of attorney over ‘vulnerable’ Louis Woodward and in less than two years spent every penny to his name, a trial at Nottingham Crown Court heard.

Between August 2019 and April 2021, 57-year-old Hill made several large transfers totalling £125,164.96 from her victim’s account directly into her own.

Much of the money was spent on online gambling sites, but the expenditure also included a £7,000 four-week holiday to Turkey for herself and her family to enjoy.

Mr Woodward, in his 80s, was left with nothing in his current and savings accounts, and was left overdrawn at the time of the defendant’s arrest in April 2021.

A large proportion of the money also originated from three drawdowns from a lifetime mortgage product held by Mr Woodward and secured against his home. 

At Hill’s request, total funds of £93,697 were released into the victim’s account, before they were transferred into her own account.

Sending her to prison, Judge Mark Watson said Hill ‘took what you wanted, when you wanted.’

He said: ‘This was a betrayal of the very significant trust placed in you. You deliberately targeted him because of his vulnerabilities.

‘You took what you wanted, when you wanted it, stripping him of his life savings and then trying to take even more.’

Hill was arrested after suspicions raised by one of Mr Woodward’s friends, the trial heard.

She denied any wrongdoing and insisted that Mr Woodward had consented to transferring the funds to pay his bills.

Hill also insisted he had gifted her £60,000 in September 2021.

But jurors heard this conflicted with Mr Woodward’s own account, provided in a video interview, in which he said Hill only had permission to use his money for his benefit, such as payment of bills, and that he did not gift her any money except to buy petrol.

Mr Woodward – who died aged 86 during the early stages of the investigation – added he had previously assisted with car repair bills and loaned her the funds to purchase a new car in August 2020, but otherwise did not give her any money for her own benefit.

He also confirmed that he did not authorise the sale of his bungalow.

Detectives uncovered she had spent vast sums on a variety of gambling websites and had a long-term habit pre-dating her appointment as Mr Woodward’s power of attorney over his affairs, showing that she had a long-term habit.

The court heard that between May 2018 when she was appointed power of attorney and April 2021 when she was arrested, Hill incurred net gambling losses of £108,251.91 across more than 17,000 individual transactions. 

She also booked a 28-day holiday to Turkey for her family costing more than £7,000 – although the Covid pandemic meant the trip was cancelled.

Despite all this evidence, Hill continued to deny any wrongdoing and took the case to trial, where she was found guilty of five counts of fraud and one count of perverting the course of justice.

Following sentence, Detective Sergeant Daniel Weaver, who led the investigation, said: ‘This was a very sad case in which a vulnerable, elderly man was taken advantage of by someone he trusted.

‘It was only in the final months of Mr Woodward’s life that the full extent of Anne Hill’s financial abuse was discovered, after a vigilant friend raised concerns.

‘On being referred to Nottinghamshire Police, a swift arrest was made, followed by a detailed investigation which included working with various partners to ensure Mr Woodward was thoroughly safeguarded in his final weeks and an in-depth review of financial data to build a strong case.

‘The other victims in this case are the beneficiaries of Mr Woodward’s will – the animal charities and long-standing friends he had chosen to support after his death.

‘We will now look to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover available funds from Anne Hill, so that his final wishes can be fulfilled as far as possible.

‘Lasting Powers of Attorney exist to empower trusted persons to make important decisions in the best interests of another, often when they are at the most vulnerable stages of their lives. 

‘It is a powerful role that comes with a lot of responsibility, which most people take incredibly seriously and would never dream of abusing their authority.

‘However, I hope this case demonstrates that where abuse does take place, Nottinghamshire Police and our partner agencies will work together to safeguard vulnerable people and ensure that perpetrators are held to account.’