A fraudster, nicknamed the 'Black Widow' for her deceptive tactics, has been sentenced to prison after spending 16 months evading authorities in Tenerife. Pamela Gwinnett, 63, was convicted of defrauding 89-year-old Joan Green of nearly £300,000.
Gwinnett posed as a carer for Mrs. Green, a retired accountant, between December 2019 and November 2022. During this period, she isolated the pensioner from her family, claiming to be nursing her during the COVID-19 pandemic while secretly spending her savings on personal luxuries. These included a car, expensive meals, and cosmetic treatments.
In April 2025, as prosecutors charged her with fraud and she awaited trial, Gwinnett fled to Tenerife. She told authorities she needed to visit the island to scatter her brother's ashes. She spent the subsequent 16 months living in a villa on the island, enjoying a lifestyle funded by Mrs. Green's money. Her actions included getting her nails done and swimming in a luxury pool. Meanwhile, Gwinnett had also taken steps to prevent Mrs. Green's family from visiting or contacting her, including padlocking her home's gates and changing her landline number. She also allegedly filed false allegations with social services, claiming the family was mistreating their relative.
Mrs. Green's family were only able to intervene when they managed to gain access to her home and witnessed the state she had been left in. Gwinnett was convicted of fraud by abuse of position in her absence last year, and an extradition warrant was issued.
She was located by Sky News earlier this year and subsequently arrested in July before being extradited to Britain. At Preston Crown Court, Judge Michael Maher sentenced Gwinnett to six years and two months in prison for the fraud. He added a further two months for breaching her bail conditions. The judge described Gwinnett as an "intimidating" and "manipulative" woman who treated Mrs. Green, who died in November 2022, with "utter contempt," viewing her as "a cash cow to be milked until she was dry."
Mrs. Green's grandson, David Bolton, expressed relief at Gwinnett's sentencing, stating that she had never apologized or shown remorse. He dismissed Gwinnett's defense of going to Tenerife due to "fear, anxiety and mental health issues," noting that she appeared not to be anxious while enjoying her lavish lifestyle abroad.