PREVIEW

WORDS BYLINE: Marta Tavares
A fraudster was exposed after his elderly victim discovered that tens of thousands of pounds had been taken from her account without her knowledge.
The woman, aged in her nineties, was warned by her care home in Newark that her funds had been depleted to such an extent that she would need to apply for council support.
Nottinghamshire Police launched an investigation and questioned David Jenkins, who had previously been granted power of attorney over her finances.
Detectives uncovered that at least £149,000 had been dishonestly appropriated between March 2021 and May 2023, without the woman’s consent.
The stolen money had been spent on paying off debts, online gambling, and other lifestyle expenses.
The fraud came to light after the woman moved full-time into a care home in Newark.
Jenkins claimed retrospectively that many of the payments were mutually agreed loans that would be repaid in instalments. While investigators found some evidence of repayments, the alleged loans were so large they could not realistically be repaid within the victim’s lifetime.
Jenkins, aged 57, of Rosebery Avenue, Boston, later pleaded guilty to one count of Fraud by Abuse of Position.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, October 31, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Detective constable Akil Kapasi, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “Assuming power of attorney for an elderly person is an immense responsibility that underscores the huge amount of trust placed in the person chosen.
“Jenkins abused that trust in the most appalling way and used this money to fund his own lifestyle.
“We were fortunate in this case that the victim had full capacity to contradict Jenkins’ account and expose his lies.
“As he begins a significant jail sentence, I hope this case serves as a warning to others with power of attorney over the financial affairs of others.
“That money is for their benefit — not yours. If you decide to treat it as a personal slush fund and we find out, there can be very severe consequences indeed.”