Thief who could not care any less

ABUSE Tanya Benjamin It’s been a shocking year for crooked carers who rip off the people they’re supposed to be looking after.

The latest example I’ve come across is Tanya Benjamin, who stole £126,000 from the bank account of an 85-year-old widow.

Now the 60-year-old thief is serving three years in jail after being convicted of fraud at Nottingham crown court.

“The extent that Benjamin went to gain the elderly victim’s trust and the amount she stole was completely cold and callous,” said Detective Constable Marc Lancaster of Nottinghamshire Police.

Research by the charity Action on Elder Abuse has found huge discrepancies between local authorities when it comes to investigating concerns that older residents might be being abused.

“The official reporting statistics paint a picture of a ‘postcode lottery’ of disjointed, variable practice across England which suggests that whether or not you are kept safe from abuse can be almost entirely down to where in the country you happen to live,” said director for England, Stephen McCarthy.