Former carer who stole from the elderly wins £200k on radio phone-in
ACROOKED carer who stole cash and jewellery from vulnerable elderly people has scooped £200,000 on a radio phone-in.
The families of Nicola Glover’s victims said they were ‘sick to their stomachs’ when they heard of her windfall.
The former care worker from Widnes was jailed for 56 months in November 2014 after pleading guilty to charges of burglary, theft and fraud.
The sentence upheld on appeal.
She targeted her victims over a two-month period in the summer of 2013, entering their homes and stealing cash, jewellery and other items.
One of her six victims was aged 92 and bedbound with dementia.
Glover struck lucky when she won £200,000 on Absolute Radio’s Make Me A Winner phone-in competition.
In order to win, entrants must register their details, then wait to receive a mysterious call from an unknown number.
If the call comes in, they must answer within five rings and say ‘make me a winner’ when they pick up.
In the March 28 phonein, Glover answered correctly and won the cash.
After hearing of her win, several of her victims families have revealed the devastating impact Glover’s crimes continue to have on them.
For Joy, 64, the distress of what happened to her
was mum, who has since died, ‘never goes away.’
Joy’s mum was suffering from dementia when the carer entered her home in the middle of the night using a key safe and stole cash and jewellery worth more than £300.
She said: “My mum was so vulnerable. I couldn’t be there with her every day, so you put your trust in people going into the house - carers that look after the vulnerable and disabled.
“What happened really shook my trust in people.
“But the other carers who looked after my mum were heartsick over it and a lot of them came to her funeral.”
Joy said she ‘felt sick’ when she found out about Glover’s win.
She added: “I was angry and upset about it. It’s just a bizarre thing to happen.”
Ruth, 60, knows Joy’s pain.
Her elderly parents, who were married for 50 years, also fell victim to the former carer.
Glover was providing support for Ruth’s dad, who suffered with dementia, when she stole precious jewellery from Ruth’s mum.
Ruth recalls seeing her mum ‘frantically searching for something’ at home. That something turned out to be her engagement ring.
Glover stole the ring, along with Ruth’s mum’s eternity ring, and pawned them.
Because the pawn shop failed to sell the rings, they were melted down for gold before police could retrieve them.
Ruth had an identical ring made for her mum as a replacement but, according to Ruth ‘she’s never worn it.’
Ruth said: “To take someone’s engagement ring, it’s just unforgiveable. Nine years on, mum’s still devastated. I can’t begin to tell you how upset she was - mum’s never forgotten.”
Ruth is ‘absolutely gutted’ about Glover’s win which she said hurts all the more because ‘none of the people affected by her behaviour got any compensation.’
Ruth said: “I don’t think she deserved it. She should compensate her victims.”
Michelle, 54, whose late father-in-law Barry was also one of Glover’s victims, agrees: “With the lives she’s ruined, she should be made to donate the money to an elderly charity. It makes my blood boil.”
Barry had around £15,000 worth of his late wife’s jewellery stolen as well as his war medals and items belonging to his late mum.
Although Barry was never told about what Glover did before he died (a ‘blessing,’ according to Michelle), the news of the theft was a terrible blow to Michelle’s husband.
He and his brother lost their mum when they were very young and they were deeply upset to learn her wedding ring, engagement ring and watch had all been stolen.
Michelle and her husband had hoped to pass the heirlooms to their granddaughters.
Michelle said her sister heard about Glover’s windfall on the way home from work, then broke the news to her.
Michelle said: “People were congratulating her for winning. But they haven’t got a clue what she’s done.”
For her part, Glover is defiant about her recent good fortune.
In a public post on Facebook, she resolved to ‘start enjoying it.’ After facing a backlash on social media, she wrote: “A massive thing happened to me last week and I find myself wishing it hadn’t. So to all of you who don’t think I deserve it?
“Well all I have to say is it’s not a question of whether I deserve it.
“All I did was enter a competition like thousands of others! With the same chance of winning as everybody else. I won, fair and square. In that sense, I do deserve it. Like anyone who enters a competition!
“So please stop with the insults and leave me alone.”
‘My mum was so vulnerable. I couldn’t be there with her every day, so you put your trust in people going into the house - carers that look after the vulnerable and disabled’ Joy, whose mum was one of Glover’s victims