'Shameless' fraudster who stole £300k from vulnerable pensioner led away by police

This is the moment a "shameless" fraudster who stole £300,000 from a vulnerable pensioner is led away by police, after Sky News tracked her down to Tenerife.

Pamela Gwinnett, 63, isolated 89-year-old Joan Green from her family while pretending to act as her carer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She convinced Ms Green to transfer power of attorney to her - giving her control over her finances - and raided the retired accountant's life savings.

Gwinnett spent the money she took on Botox treatments, lavish meals, a £22,500 car, and mortgages for properties she owned.

Sky News tracked her down to a picturesque seaside apartment in the south of Tenerife and confronted her earlier this year.

Footage released on Friday by police in Spain shows handcuffed Gwinnett, wearing shorts and sandals, being led away by officers.

Spain's top court, the Audiencia Nacional, told Sky News: "The detainee was brought before a judge last Wednesday (15 July).

"The judge on duty at the moment, Francisco de Jorge, head of Courtroom 1 of the Central Court of First Instance, ordered her imprisonment without bail while the extradition proceedings to the requesting country are under way."

Greater Manchester Police said it was working with the National Crime Agency and Spanish authorities to bring Gwinnett back to the UK to serve her sentence.

When Sky News spoke to Gwinnett outside her home and asked if she stole Joan's savings, she said: "No, never. Her family took it."

Ms Green's step-grandson, David Bolton, told Sky News on Wednesday: "We are pleased that Pamela Gwinnett has finally been arrested and will now be held accountable for what she did to my nan.

"However, it has taken far too long to reach this point.

"Whilst this outcome cannot undo what happened, we hope it brings some measure of closure and serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting vulnerable people from abuse and exploitation."

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Gwinnett fled to Tenerife, in Spain's Canary Islands, in breach of her bail conditions while awaiting trial and has been living on the island for more than a year.

She was sentenced in her absence last October to six years for theft and fraud by abuse of position.

Ms Green, from Chorley, Lancashire, died in 2022.

During her sentencing, Judge Michael Maher said Gwinnett "played the long game" to isolate Ms Green and treated her like a "cash cow to be milked".

The trial was played a video secretly filmed by her step-grandson David Bolton, showing a row with Gwinnett.

In the footage, Gwinnett shouts: "This is nothing to do with you - I'm power of attorney."

When the family say she doesn't speak for Ms Green, she yells: "Yes I do!"

She also accuses Mr Bolton of being a "criminal" and "grooming" his grandmother.

Ms Green can be heard asking "what's happening?" as Mr Bolton holds her hand and comforts her.

Judge Maher said the video showed Gwinnett's "self-assured shamelessness" and "brass neck".

Gwinnett has made applications to appeal both her conviction and sentence.

Additional reporting by Darren Little, news editor, and Charlie Brunskill, camera operator

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