Couple jailed after befriending Staffordshire man and stealing thousands from him
A couple who worked together to steal thousands of pounds from an elderly man they befriended in Staffordshire have been jailed.
At Stafford Crown Court on Monday June 9, Jenna Holland, aged 40, from Stone, was sentenced to nine months in prison and told to pay a victim surcharge of £187 after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation.
Her accomplice, Jack Insley, aged 32, from Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, received a 10-month prison sentence after admitting possession of a bladed article in a public place.
He was also given a two-month jail sentence to run concurrently after pleading guilty to theft from a person and must pay a £187 victim surcharge.
Officers started investigating the couple after Staffordshire Police received a 999 call on Sunday 2 December last year from a member of the public raising concerns that his 75-year-old friend and business partner was being exploited by them.
Local neighbourhood officers located them at an address in Stone where they also found £370 cash and a lock-knife.
Investigations revealed the pair had moved into the property after being evicted from their home.
When the owner, who gave them around £1,000 while they were staying there, asked them to leave on 18 December, they refused.
Four days later on 22 December, he phoned his bank after being unable to find his mobile phone, suspecting it had been taken by Insley and Holland, and a staff member told him that his account had been locked due to suspicious activity.
Unfamiliar transactions and a bank transfer of £4,600 from his account to Holland’s were discovered.
A day later, officers arrested Insley and Holland.
Sergeant Claire Goodridge, from Stone local policing team (LPT), said: “This was a callous series of events involving the financial exploitation of an elderly man during which the defendants stole his mobile phone and money.
“Insley and Holland’s guilty pleas are a testament to the thorough investigation carried out by our officers.
“I hope the sentencing sends out a clear message that those who prey on the elderly or vulnerable in Staffordshire for personal financial gain will be pursued and investigated fully.”
