An elderly woman was left unable to pay for her residential care after a Nottinghamshire fraudster drained her bank account of £18,000. Martin Sibcy, of Wood Street, Newark, used the 80-year-old woman's life savings to buy luxury items such as a motorbike throughout the space of a year.
Detective Constable Dan Weaver, a specialist fraud investigator with Nottinghamshire Police’s economic and cyber crime unit, described the crime as despicable. "Sibcy took advantage of a very vulnerable person and stole a significant amount of money," he said.
“He completely emptied her bank account, which meant she was unable to pay her care fees." Between December 2019 and September 2020, Sibcy, who had been entrusted with the woman's finances, withdrew cash totalling more than £15,000.
Read more: Unmarked police car rammed during 90mph pursuit in Nottinghamshire
Over the course of the nine months he also made purchases of more than £3,000 from shops and to pay for mobile phone bills, car insurance and broadband. During police interviews, Sibcy claimed to have only borrowed the money but the victim was unaware and had not got given her permission.
There was also no evidence he had repaid any of the money and he had kept no records to show how much he had taken. Sibcy claimed the bank card he used must have been cloned, but investigations proved this was not the case and he was the only person with access to it.
He was jailed for 15 months at Nottingham Crown Court on July 13 after admitting theft. Nottinghamshire Police is working to recover the funds to compensate the victim.
Read next:
Carer wishes she could have helped pensioner killed in Chilwell 'road rage' incident
Monkeypox outbreak declared global health emergency by World Health Organisation
Police statement after hundreds of people block roads in Long Eaton to swim in quarry
Driver spat at police officer after being stopped for drink driving
Neighbours heard 'long horn and bang' before car crashed into lamppost in Newark
