Pamela Gwinnett, a 63-year-old fraudster known as the 'Black Widow,' has been arrested by Spanish police in Tenerife and is awaiting extradition to the United Kingdom. Gwinnett was convicted in her absence last October of stealing £300,000 from an 89-year-old vulnerable pensioner, Joan Green, of Chorley, Lancashire.
Gwinnett fled to the Spanish island in April 2025 while on bail awaiting trial for the crimes. She had been serving as a carer for Mrs. Green, during which time she allegedly controlled the pensioner's finances and isolated her from her family. Preston Crown Court heard that Mrs. Green's life savings were plundered, with Gwinnett reportedly spending thousands on cosmetic treatments, expensive meals, and a new car.
Spanish authorities apprehended Gwinnett, who appeared before a judge on Wednesday. The Audiencia Nacional, Spain's top court, ordered her imprisonment without bail pending the extradition process. Gwinnett had previously denied the accusations when confronted by Sky News outside her apartment in Tenerife, stating, "I don't need to answer these questions. Did I heck take the money."
She reportedly flew to Tenerife shortly after a court denied her request to vary her bail conditions, which she had used as a pretext to scatter her brother's ashes. During the trial, a video filmed by Mrs. Green's step-grandson, David Bolton, was presented, showing Gwinnett in a confrontation with the victim's family. In the footage, Gwinnett asserted her control by stating, "This is nothing to do with you - I'm power of attorney." She also accused Mr. Bolton of being a "criminal" and "grooming" his grandmother.
Judge Michael Maher, who sentenced Gwinnett in absentia, described her actions as demonstrating "self-assured shamelessness" and "brass neck." He characterized Mrs. Green as a "cash cow to be milked until she was dry" and stated that Gwinnett had "inveigled your way into their lives behind the charade that you were a benevolent friend to Joan." The judge expressed hope for Gwinnett's extradition, calling her remaining free in Tenerife an "affront to justice and the rule of law."
As part of her scheme, Gwinnett made false accusations of theft and neglect against Mrs. Green's stepdaughter and stepgrandchild before obtaining power of attorney. Lead investigator PC Georgia Loughton expressed hope that Gwinnett's return to the UK would provide a sense of justice for Mrs. Green's family. Gwinnett has reportedly filed applications to appeal her conviction and sentence.