Carer who ‘frittered away’ £47k of cousin’s life savings is jailed
A carer who "frittered away" £47,000 of her cousin's life savings and left her with just 21p in the bank has been put behind bars.
Karen Devonport took out 44 loans, which she said were to pay for a string of expenses including a deposit for a New York trip, her daughter's wedding and a baby shower.
The 58-year-old borrowed the money on the understanding she was waiting for a £65,000 divorce settlement which she would use to pay it all back.
But Newcastle Crown Court heard Devonport had already received the divorce pay-out a year earlier, had spent it and knew she had no money to pay back the cash.
After spending her own £65,000 divorce settlement, Devonport used the money she was borrowing to pay for meals out and treats for friends because she was "lonely".
Prosecutor Alec Burns told the court Devonport and her cousin had been "like sisters" before the fraud.
Mr Burns said it was in April 2019 when Devonport had first asked to borrow cash and told the court: "She asked for £8,000 for her daughter' s weddingbut as it happens someone else had already paid for the wedding
"The defendant told her she was due a divorce settlement of £65,000 but in the near future and she would pay her back from that but as it turned out, she had already had that money for a year and had already spent it."
The court heard over 20 months Devonport asked for regular handouts, including hundreds of pounds at a time to pay for a log cabin, £3,000 to help set up a nail bar, £2,000 for a wedding dress, £700 for bridesmaids dresses, £1,000 for a wedding photographer, money for solicitor's bills, insurance fees and furniture.
In a victim statement, which was read out in court, the victim said the £47,000 was her and her husband's life savings and added: "Karen would tell me she was desperate, she needed the money and promised to pay me back once she received her divorce settlement.
"I had no reason not to believe Karen or the reasons she needed the money.
She said the stress of keeping the "secret" about the loans affected her health and she added: "My daughter actually thought I was suffering from dementia.”
The woman said her husband left his job to support her and she is still undergoing medical tests.
She said it was only after a meeting with Devon port' sex husband that she found out the truth for certain and realised the extent of the betrayal.
She said: "I met him and he told me she had received the financial settlement of around £65,000. She had received this money before she started asking me for money.
"Karen has taken all of my life savings. I was left with 21p in my building society account.
"My husband and I had been saving since we got married in 1984."
Devonport, of Benfleet Avenue, Sunderland, admitted fraud of £47,074.
Judge Christopher Prince sentenced her to 28 months behindbars. He added :" You were frittering away money, spending it on taking people out for amusement."
Susan Hirst, defending, said Devon port has never been in trouble before and spent years working in a factory before she became a carer.
The court heard Devon port had been paying back £500 per month to her cousin and had so far repaid £3,000.