Simon Appleby, 40, of Letton in Bucknell, sent himself the money from the woman’s laptop over the course of three years while claiming to carry out work on her home.
The woman in her 80s had first employed him as a cleaner, but he continued to visit her to carry out odd jobs after the cleaning company went bust.
She then trustingly gave him access to her online banking account in order to pay himself.
Appleby made 41 payments to himself from September 2019 until she died in December 2022.
He claimed some of the payments were to purchase materials he brought to help with work on the house, including her garage door, which was never replaced.
Appleby also went to see the pensioner when she was dying in hospital.
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As she lay unconscious, he was able to let himself into her house for one final transaction – a £15,000 payment on December 12, 2022.
This was just one hour before the 80-year-old died in hospital.
Her family raise concerns about payments made to Appleby amounting to £102,627 over 39 months with the police.
Appleby at first insisted there was “no issue” with him accessing her bank account to pay himself.
However, he was unable to provide any proof of any purchases for the materials to carry out works on her house and later admitted fraud by false representation in August 2024.
Appleby was slapped with a three-year prison sentence at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
Detective Constable Emily Cooke, of West Mercia Police, said: “What he [ Appleby] 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, we will investigate and put them before the courts.”
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