A woman who fled to Spain after stealing nearly £300,000 from an elderly woman she was caring for is set to be extradited to the UK to begin serving a six-year prison sentence, the BBC reported.Pamela Gwinnett, 63, fled to Tenerife while on bail ahead of her trial on charges of exploiting Joan Green, 89, a retired accountant from Chorley, UK. She was convicted in absentia last October on charges of theft and fraud by abusing her position after failing to return to court.Greater Manchester Police said Gwinnett has now been arrested in Spain and will be returned to Britain after a joint effort involving the National Crime Agency and Spanish authorities.Investigators said she abused her position as Green’s carer, gradually taking control of the pensioner’s finances and isolating her from family members before draining nearly £300,000 of her savings. Joan Green died in November 2022.Detective Constable Georgia Lawton, who led the investigation, said officers hoped Gwinnett’s return would bring a measure of justice to Green’s family as they continued to rebuild their lives.
The court previously heard that Gwinnett left for Tenerife in April 2025 just hours after a judge rejected her application to change her bail conditions so she could travel to the island, where she claimed she wanted to scatter her brother’s ashes.During sentencing, Judge Michael Maher said Gwinnett deliberately manipulated and took advantage of a vulnerable woman for financial gain. He described Green as being treated like a “cash cow” and said the fraud was carried out with “self-confident brazenness”.The judge said Gwinnett spent years earning Green’s trust before removing her and enriching herself at the pensioner’s expense.As part of the scheme, Gwinnett made false allegations of theft and neglect against Green’s stepdaughter and grandson before obtaining power of attorney for the victim’s affairs.The stolen money was used to support an extravagant lifestyle, including a £22,500 car and luxury beauty and Botox treatments.At the time of sentencing, Judge Maher said he hoped Gwinnett would eventually return to Britain, adding that allowing her to remain on Tenerife would be “an affront to justice and the rule of law”.
