She stole £71,600

When John moved into a care home he trusted his granddaughter with power of attorney but instead of paying for his toiletries and fees she stole £71,600. Now experts warn abuse by friends, families and carers is an epidemic...

What's most sickening about the fraud carried out by Madeline Shaw isn't the enormous amount she stole – £71,600 – or even that her victim was elderly and frail. It's the fact that the victim was Shaw's own grandfather, John Mallaby.

Shaw had power of attorney over John's affairs, giving her control of his finances.

She exploited that trust by plundering his savings while stopping paying the fees for John's nursing home and not even buying the basic toiletries that were requested by the home's staff.

The fraud was only discovered after John died, aged 83.

Last week 32-year-old Shaw from Borrowby in North Yorkshire was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to fraud at York Crown Court.

'Madeline Shaw betrayed the trust placed in her to act in her frail grandfather's interests,' said Emma Harris of the Economic Crime Unit at North Yorkshire Police.

Tragically, the case is far from unique.

The charity Hourglass, which campaigns against the issue, warns that elder abuse is an epidemic, and the number of cases continues to soar.

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