A callous carer stole thousands of pounds from the elderly and vulnerable couple he was taking care of. David Lewis helped himself to more than £9,000 from the couple's saving account, "frittering it away" on clothes and presents.
At the time of the theft Lewis was in a relationship with the pensioners' granddaughter. Swansea Crown Court heard the victims have been left feeling heartbroken, betrayed, and preyed upon by the actions of someone they trusted.
Sian Cutter, prosecuting, said Lewis initially began acting as an unofficial carer for his partner's elderly grandparents before becoming their registered carer. She said the couple, who are in their 80s, relied on the defendant during the Covid lockdown and entrusted him with a bank card for their current account so he could do their shopping. The court heard the card was always returned after trips to the shops and there were no concerns about its use.
Read more: Ex-soldier with history of beating and abusing women turned his partner's life into a 'nightmare'
However in January this year the couple received a statement for their TSB savings account, which they did not routinely use, and saw that instead of it containing around £14,000 it had a little over £5,000. It emerged that between November 1, 2021, and January 4 this year 35 separate withdrawals had been made from cash machines in Pontardawe in amounts ranging from £140 to £400.
Suspicion fell on 37-year-old Lewis – who had been seen spending more than usual on clothes and Christmas presents in the preceding weeks – and when confronted by family members he confessed to what he had been doing. Police were called and when asked if any of the missing money was left the defendant said no. In his interview Lewis said he had found a bank card belonging to the couple on the floor of their house one day and had guessed its pin which was the same as the one linked to the card he used to do the shopping. He said he had spent the couple's money on paying bills and buying clothes and presents and admitted that he would have carried on withdrawing money from the savings account had he not been caught. Read about a carer who took advantage of the family she was supposed to be helping to steal £16,000 worth of irreplaceable jewellery.
In an impact statement the victims said they felt betrayed and preyed upon by someone they trusted. They said they would have given the defendant money if he had asked, as they had in the past, and the experience had caused them "heartbreak, stress, and pain". The couple said they had worked hard all their lives and had put money aside to cover the costs of their care.
David Simon Lewis, of Leonardo's guesthouse in Oystermouth Road, Swansea, admitted fraud by false representation. He has one conviction for one offence – a robbery from 2001.
Iwan Jenkins, for Lewis, said it was accepted his client had committed an offence that could only be described as "sinister, ugly, mean and deplorable" and one for which there could be no excuse. He said the defendant had told him that he hated himself and bitterly regretted what he had done and had "lost everything". The barrister added that if he retained his liberty dad-of-one Lewis had been offered employment with Happy Hounds pet food company in Ammanford which meant he could begin to repay what he had stolen.
Judge Jeremy Jenkins told Lewis he had "plundered" his victims' bank account and "frittered away" their money. He said the defendant had targeted two elderly and vulnerable people and was guilty of a gross abuse of trust and that only a sentence of immediate custody was appropriate. With a one-third discount for his guilty plea Lewis was sentenced to 10 months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
You can sign up for our regular Crime & Punishment newsletter here while this interactive tool allows you to check the latest crime statistics for your area:
