Madeline Shaw, from North Yorkshire, has been jailed for 18 months after she admitted stealing from her frail grandfather who had trusted her to act as lasting power of attorney
Cases of elder abuse – including shameless frauds – are on a large rise and becoming “epidemic,” a charity has today warned.
Despite continued campaigns to tackle the mistreatment and exploitation of older people, charity Hourglass says it is seeing huge numbers of instances where pensioners are left penniless and, sometimes, physically and emotionally harmed by abuse.
One woman was last week jailed for 18 months after admitting stealing money from her own grandfather. Madeline Shaw, 32, was trusted to act as John Mallaby’s power of attorney but abused this responsibility, draining his bank account after he was placed into a care home.
Shaw’s fraud only came to light after John died, aged 83, and, following her sentence at York Crown Court, police raised awareness of elder abuse. Investigating officer, PC Emma Harris of North Yorkshire Police Economic Crime Unit, said: “Madeline Shaw betrayed the trust placed in her to act in her frail grandfather’s interests and ensure his money was used for his benefit. She has lied about what she did with his money but thankfully, when faced with the evidence has pleaded guilty and is now facing the consequences.”
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These words have today been echoed by Hourglass, which works to challenge and prevent the abuse of older people. Seven years ago, it received around 4,000 contacts from concerned members of the public each year, now that figure is 70,000.
Hourglass chief executive Richard Robinson told the Daily Mail: “It’s an epidemic and it’s getting worse. Nobody seems to be saying: ‘This is awful, what can we do about it?’ Parliament has discussed the abuse of farmyard animals more often than older people.”
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Financial abuse of elderly people typically involves stealing their money or possessions, or defrauding them by threatening or pressuring them to hand over money, or sign financial documents. At times it is easy to spot, for example a family member or carer taking money from an elderly person’s wallet without their permission or pressuring them into handing over cash.
In some cases, the abuse may be more subtle—for instance, a loved one might threaten to stop visiting or to keep the grandchildren away unless the older person pays for everyone, or they might quietly withdraw small amounts of money from the person’s account each month. According to Hourglass, in most cases the individual committing fraud against an older person is a family member.
A spokesperson for Hourglass said: “A number of studies suggest that family members may have a sense of entitlement to the financial assets of an older person feeling that they will inherit it anyway, that the older person may no longer need it, or that the perpetrator deserves it for assisting with care needs.”
