FRAUDSTER EXTRADITED FROM TENERIFE AFTER CONNING PENSIONER OF £296K

Pamela Gwinnett, convicted of defrauding a vulnerable pensioner, has been arrested in Tenerife and is being extradited to the United Kingdom. Gwinnett, 63, had fled to the Canary Islands in April 2025 whilst awaiting trial for theft and fraud by abuse of position. In October 2025, Preston Crown Court convicted her in her absence and sentenced her to six years' imprisonment. The court also ordered her to pay £300,000 in restitution under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Gwinnett gained control of 89-year-old Joan Green's finances after obtaining Power of Attorney and isolating the pensioner from her family during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over several years, she spent the retired accountant's life savings on Botox treatments, a £22,500 car, expensive meals and property mortgages. Court documents record that she changed locks at Mrs Green's gated bungalow in Chorley, Lancashire, and altered the landline telephone number to prevent contact with relatives. Carers who visited the property reported witnessing neglect of Mrs Green's basic care needs. Mrs Green died in 2022 following years of financial exploitation.

Judge Michael Maher stated during sentencing that Gwinnett had treated the court proceedings "with utter contempt", as she had treated Mrs Green. The judge had previously refused Gwinnett's request to travel to Tenerife to scatter her brother's ashes; she ignored the court order and departed five days later. Her extradition represents the conclusion of the legal process following her conviction in her absence.