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A cruel fraudster who stole and embezzled the life savings of an elderly and vulnerable woman has been jailed.
Martin Sibsey, 54, was entrusted with the 80-year-old’s personal finances but abused that trust for personal gain.
His offending, which included making luxury purchases such as a motorbike, was discovered when the victim’s savings were so depleted that direct debits paying for her residential care failed.
Detective Constable Dan Weaver, fraud investigation specialist at Nottinghamshire Police’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, said: “This was a despicable crime in which Sibsey took advantage of a very vulnerable person and stole a significant amount of money.
“He completely emptied her bank account which meant she couldn’t pay her care fees.
“He did it for personal gain, including treating himself to luxury items.”
Sibsey, of Wood Street, Newark, was jailed for 15 months at Nottingham Crown Court on July 13, 2022, after admitting theft.
He made purchases totaling more than £3,000 from shops and to pay mobile phone, car insurance and broadband bills over nine months.
In the same period, from December 2019 to September 2020, Sibcy made 66 cash withdrawals totaling more than £15,000.
Most of the money was withdrawn near his home, but in August 2020 he used the bank card in Skegness, Lincolnshire, after traveling there on a day trip on a motorbike he had bought and insured with the victim’s money.
During police interviews, Sibsey claimed that she only borrowed the money, but that the victim did not know and did not get permission.
Furthermore, there is no evidence that he returned the money and he kept no records to show how much he took.
Sibsi claimed that the bank card he used must have been cloned, but investigations proved that this was not the case and he was the only person with access to it.
The total amount stolen was £18,403.60 and Nottinghamshire Police will now look to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover funds to compensate the victim.
DC Weaver added: “I hope this conviction and sentence sends a deterrent message to others who may commit similar crimes, believing they can escape justice.”
“This shows that Nottinghamshire Police takes reports of fraud and financial abuse by people in positions of trust extremely seriously.”
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