Pamela Gwinnett has been jailed for six years and two months for raiding £300,000 from the life savings of vulnerable pensioner Joan Green while pretending to be her carer12:53, 03 Aug 2026Updated 13:02, 03 Aug 2026A woman who conned a vulnerable pensioner out of almost £300,000 and then fled to Tenerife to evade justice has been jailed.‌Pamela Gwinnett, 63, was convicted of theft and fraud after stealing the life savings of 89-year-old Joan Green, from Chorley, Lancashire, while pretending to be her friend and carer during the Covid-19 pandemic.‌Gwinnett convinced Ms Green, a retired accountant, to transfer over Power of Attorney, giving her control over her finances. She treated Ms Green as "a cash cow to be milked until she was dry", spending the pensioner's money on Botox treatments, a £22,500 car, expensive meals and mortgages for properties she owned. Ms Green sadly died in 2022.‌Gwinnett fled to Tenerife in April 2025 while awaiting trial for theft and fraud by abuse of position. She was convicted in her absence in October last year and originally handed a six-year prison sentence. Gwinnett was finally extradited from Tenerife last week. On Monday, she was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to six years and two months in prison.She had previously been ordered to pay back the stolen money at a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.‌Judge Michael Maher, who previously sentenced Gwinnett, said at the time that he knew "full well" she was in Tenerife and told her: "You have treated this process as you did Joan Green with utter contempt."He said Gwinnett had treated Ms Green as "a cash cow to be milked until she was dry".Gwinnett, dubbed the 'Black Widow', made false accusations against Ms Green's family and isolated the pensioner by changing the locks and the landline phone number at her gated bungalow, the Manchester Evening News reported.‌Carers who visited Ms Green's home said they witnessed Gwinnett "barking" at the pensioner and neglecting her basic care needs.When Ms Green asked why her family no longer visited, Gwinnett said they "weren't good enough". She made up false allegations against them and claimed to have the support of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.‌In March 2022, the family successfully applied to have Gwinnett's Power of Attorney revoked. However, Gwinnett opened a joint bank account with Ms Green, allowing her continued access to her money.She stole a total of £296,173.68, which had been saved by Ms Green and her late husband Stanley, a retired senior manager at British Aerospace.‌Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed in July that Gwinnett had been arrested in Tenerife.GMP officers worked alongside the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Spanish authorities "to locate Gwinnett and begin the process of her return to the UK", where she will serve her sentence.Investigating officer PC Georgia Loughton, from GMP, said at the time: "I am pleased that Pamela Gwinnett will be returned to the UK where she will serve her sentence.‌"Pamela knowingly defrauded a vulnerable woman out of almost £300,000, cutting off all contact with her family and controlling every aspect of her life."She was trusted by Joan, and she used this position of trust to her own financial gain. Joan was isolated from her family and denied from seeing her grandchildren and their children.Article continues below"Sadly, Joan passed away in 2022, however we hope that the return of Pamela to the UK to serve her sentence gives Joan's family a sense of justice as they look to move on with their lives."Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley, the force's Bolton district commander, previously said: "Our teams have worked alongside the National Crime Agency and Spanish authorities to ensure that Gwinnett is brought back to the UK to face the consequences of her crimes."This arrest highlights our commitment to relentlessly pursue those who commit crimes and exploit vulnerable people in our communities. We will take any necessary action to ensure they face justice."