A woman who defrauded a vulnerable pensioner out of almost £300,000 and then fled to Tenerife has been arrested upon her return to the UK. Pamela Gwinnett was escorted into a police van at Manchester Airport on Thursday after being extradited.
Gwinnett was convicted of theft and fraud for plundering the life savings of 89-year-old Joan Green from Chorley, Lancashire, after becoming her carer. She flew to Tenerife in April 2025 while on bail and was subsequently sentenced in her absence to six years in jail.
Preston Crown Court heard last year that Gwinnett controlled Ms Green's finances and isolated her from her family. The judge in the case reportedly described Gwinnett as treating the 89-year-old as a "cash cow to be milked until she was dry".
Gwinnett will now serve her six-year sentence and is scheduled to appear at Manchester Magistrates Court later in relation to her previous failure to appear in court. PC Georgia Loughton of Greater Manchester Police stated that work to convict Gwinnett and address her evading justice had been ongoing for some time. Clare Meehan from the National Crime Agency confirmed their close work with Greater Manchester Police and Spanish partners to secure Gwinnett's return.