Lancashire fugitive who stole £300,000 from old woman she pretended to care for reportedly spotted in Tenerife
Sightings have been reported in Tenerife of a fugitive from Lancashire who stole more than £300,000 from an elderly woman she pretended to care for.
Pamela Gwinnett was sentenced to six years in jail in her absence at Preston Crown Court last week. She had been convicted of fraud and theft from Chorley widow Joan Green. Gwinnett, of Greenfield Road, Adlington, fled the country for the Canary Islands in April and has not returned.
Judge Michael Maher said at a sentencing hearing that he hoped that she would be extradited as soon as possible. When the news reached the Spanish island, residents on social media started to post unverified sightings of her in the Los Cristianos area.
Online newspaper Canarian Weekly said some even said they knew where she was staying. One commentator said: "She is known on the El Mirador complex as the Black Widow." A third said: "I think I recognise her but she is always dolled up when she is out."
Another said: "Let's hope her comeuppance is quick." One poster used a picture taken outside a bar and asked "Is this her?". Anyone with any concrete information is urged to contact Spanish police or the UK authorities.
The court heard that Gwinnett, aged 62, isolated Mrs Green from her friends and family in order to steal her money. Mrs Green, of Wigan Lane, Chorley, was 89 when she died in 2022. Gwinnett did some shopping and light cleaning for Mr Green but then became controlling when she realised Mrs Green was wealthy.
Judge Maher told Gwinnett in her absence: "Joan Green was simply a cash cow to be milked until she was dry. And so having inveigled your way into their lives behind the charade that you were a benevolent friend to Joan, you set about playing the long game to isolate and control a vulnerable woman and thereby enrich yourself.
"The masquerade was so successful that she made you a lasting power of attorney within a relatively short time of knowing you."
The court heard that Gwinnett contrived to isolate Mrs Green from her family - even making bogus accusations against them. Gwinnett changed Mrs Green's phone number and padlocked the gates at her home - telling carers not to let any family near her.
She opened a bank account in their joint names and siphoned off tens of thousands of pounds. Judge Maher said it was estimated that she "plundered" Mrs Green's estate for more than £300,000.
Judge Maher added: "I sincerely hope that Ms Gwinett is extradited back to the UK to serve this sentence for these egregious offences. It is an affront to justice and the rule of law for this Defendant to be allowed to remain in Tenerife.
"I will require a letter from the CPS by the 16th January 2026 indicating what efforts they have made to engage with their Spanish counterparts to have Ms. Gwinett returned to the UK."