A greedy handyman has been jailed after paying himself £102,000 from an elderly woman’s bank account – just for doing odd jobs for her. Simon Appleby, 40, had worked for the woman in south Shropshire from September 2019 until she died in December 2022, with one suspicious £15,000 transaction made one hour before she died in hospital.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard how he worked initially as her cleaner, but later went on to do a number of handyman jobs like changing lightbulbs and painting her garage. The trusting pensioner allowed him to take payments after using her laptop to log into her account via online banking.
But following her death her family contacted West Mercia Police concerned about a number of payments made to Appleby that totalled £102,627 over a 39-month period.
Appleby, of Letton in Bucknell, in Shropshire, admitted fraud by false representation in August 2024 and was sentenced to three years behind bars last week.
Detective Constable Emily Cooke said: “I welcome the sentence given to Appleby, whose actions were a shameful abuse of trust, targeting a vulnerable woman who relied on him for help and support.
“Appleby knowingly exploited that trust for personal gain, and to take more than £100,000 from her over an extended period, was deeply dishonest and morally inexcusable.”
West Mercia Police said during their investigation, officers discovered that Appleby met his victim when he was her cleaner.
In 2019 the company he worked for went bankrupt, but he continued to visit her carrying out odd jobs, such as painting her garage and changing light bulbs.
Police explained: “As the victim knew Appleby, she trusted him and allowed him to use her laptop to log into her online banking account to pay himself.
“Appleby made 41 payments to himself, of various amounts, claiming some were for materials he brought to help him carry out odd jobs at her house such as changing her garage door, which was never replaced.
“However, he was unable to provide any proof of purchases.
“And, there was one payment of £15,000 made at 7.56pm on 12 December 2022, an hour before the victim sadly died in hospital.”
Enquiries showed that Appleby visited her in hospital, and upon learning she was unconscious let himself into her house to carry out the transaction.
Appleby was charged with fraud by false representation, and he pleaded guilty to the charge in August 2024.
DC Cooke added: “What he did was calculated, carried out against someone who believed he was acting in her best interests.
“The fact that he continued to pay himself even as she lay unconscious in hospital shows the extent of his deceit.
“I want to commend the victim’s family for coming forward and reporting their concerns to police.
“I hope this sentence sends a clear message that those who exploit vulnerable people for financial gain, that we will investigate and put them before the courts.”
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