Jail for woman, 47, who tried to fool bank staff out of £22,000 while disguised as 81-year-old

A 47-year-old care worker walked into a bank disguised as an 81-year-old in an attempt to steal £22,000 from the woman's account. Blonde Linda Cramphorn donned a curly brown wig, spectacles and a green hat and jacket, with a long skirt and flat shoes, and headed to the Halifax branch in Coalville, Leicestershire.

Carrying a shopping bag and a walking stick, she pretended she was the elderly victim, who has Alzheimer's disease, and successfully withdrew £400 in cash from the woman's account. However, staff became suspicious when she then asked for a £22,000 banker's draft. They alerted police when they realised she was impersonating the account holder. Cramphorn's partner, Sanjay Patel, 43, who was waiting in a car near the bank, was also arrested.



He initially told police he was waiting for an elderly woman and maintained Cramphorn was the pensioner. Cramphorn, who was employed by Quorndon Care Ltd to care for the victim, admitted stealing the pensioner's cheque book and personal documents. Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said the victim was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2012 and as her condition deteriorated she needed the support of a carer to assist with routine chores. Judge Michael Pert QC said: "This was cynical exploitation of the elderly."

Describing Cramphorn as "a conwoman", he told her: "You obtained work as a carer and were caring for an elderly, vulnerable lady and you took the opportunity to help yourself to various documents of hers to prove her identity and gain access to her finances. You set out to bleed her account dry. Having obtained £400, Cramphorn, disguised as an old woman, attempted to obtain £22,000." The defendants, of College Road, Whetstone, both admitted fraud, by falsely representing that Cramphorn was the elderly woman, on June 28. They were each jailed for 16 months at Leicester Crown Court.

With short CCTV video.