Mechanic who moved to get away from trouble stole £115k from gran
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A YOUNG car mechanic moved to live with his auntie in Derbyshire to escape drug and gambling issues and promptly stole more than £115,000 from his 81-year-old grandmother.
Tyler Wiggins bought motorbikes and other high-value items after seeing where his victim kept the passwords to her bank accounts at the retirement home where she lived.
Derby Crown Court heard how in just four months he made more than 60 transactions, moving cash from her accounts to his.
When the 23-year-old was caught, he fled the area but after he was arrested denied any wrongdoing, saying she was “rich and could easily afford it”.
Jailing him for 18 months, Judge Robert Egbuna said: “You knew exactly what you were doing and you knew it was dishonest.
“She was 81 and a lonely individual and she felt in some ways isolated. On your regular visits you searched out her details and you found the passwords to her bank accounts. You made large transactions but this was not simply for gambling. You bought items to support a lifestyle of enjoyment such as motorbikes.
“You thought you would get a thrill at the expense of your grandmother. You targeted her because you thought she was elderly and would not be aware you were stealing from her accounts.”
David Outterside, prosecuting, said Wiggins went to live with his aunt in Brassington in late 2018 to get away from problems he was having in the West Midlands.
He said between January and May, 2019, Wiggins withdrew the cash from his three of his grandmother’s accounts. Mr Outterside said: “All of them were online transactions and the majority were highvalue and not authorised by the victim. She kept the passwords to her account in an unlocked drawer next to a computer and the defendant had seen her access it and that explains how he was able to do what he did.
“It was discovered when her daughter, who helped her with her finances, saw the money was missing. He would not have done this to a 30-year-old, he’s done it to an 81-year-old and she has been targeted because of her age. “The defendant left the address when the thefts were discovered. He was interviewed and denied any dishonesty, saying his grandmother has been lonely, was rich and could easily afford it.”
In a victim impact statement, read out by Mr Outterside, the daughter of the victim – and aunt of the defendant – said: “All of this has
Victim’s daughter
made me feel disappointed, violated and angry. One person has made me feel so angry as I trusted him.
“It was cruel and calculated and against a member of his own family.”
Wiggins, now of Oval Road, Erdington, Birmingham, and who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to theft.
Lucy Jones, mitigating, said her client, formerly of Mayall Drive, Sutton Coldfield, had never been before the courts before and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. She said he left home at 16 with six GCSEs and became an apprentice mechanic.
Miss Jones said: “At the outset I say my submissions are to try and persuade your honour to suspend the sentence and nobody is under any illusions that will be a difficult task.
“A number of high-value items were purchased by the defendant. They include two motorbikes, a watch and an iPad which are in the possession of the aunt and will go some way to paying back what he took.
“He was suffering with drug and alcohol issues and had debt. He was desperate for money.”
It was cruel and calculated and against a member of his own family.