Fugitive Caregiver Arrested in Tenerife After Stealing £300,000 from Elderly Victim
Pamela Gwinnett, a 63-year-old woman who fled a six-year prison sentence for stealing £300,000 from an elderly victim, has been arrested in Tenerife and is awaiting extradition to the UK.
Pamela Gwinnett, 63, has been arrested in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, ending her time on the run after fleeing a prison sentence in the United Kingdom. Her capture highlights both the challenges of international police cooperation and the risks faced by vulnerable elderly people.
Gwinnett was sentenced to six years in prison last October in Preston for fraud and theft. The court found that she had abused her position as a caregiver for 89-year-old Joan Green to steal approximately £300,000. Gwinnett used the stolen money to fund a lavish lifestyle, including buying a luxury car, paying off her own mortgages, and spending on leisure and beauty treatments.
The case has drawn significant attention due to the calculated way Gwinnett isolated her victim. During the pandemic, she installed security locks and tampered with phone lines to prevent Green’s family from checking on her. Joan Green passed away in 2022 before the court reached its verdict.
The handling of the case has sparked controversy in the UK. The victim’s family filed a formal complaint against Lancashire Police, claiming that officers initially dismissed their concerns as a civil dispute rather than a crime. It was only after authorities in Manchester intervened that the case was treated as a criminal matter.
Gwinnett is currently in custody in Spain, awaiting extradition. In addition to her prison sentence, she has been ordered to repay £350,180 within three months; if she fails to do so, she faces an additional three-and-a-half years in prison. Meanwhile, an internal investigation is underway to determine why police initially ignored reports of the suspicious financial activity.