05 February 2024 , 07:17
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A jailed finance worker who fleeced her own gran out of £24k which she spent on JustEat, McDonald's and William Hill has been ordered to pay back just £84.
Amanda Farr, 48, was jailed last year for 18 months after a jury was told she had pilfered from Joyce Hutchings's savings. The ill-gotten gains were then said to have been spent online with the likes of JustEat, McDonald's, iTunes and the PlayStation store. A total of 130 transactions also included bets with William Hill and an Amsterdam holiday.
The deception left Ms Hutchings, then aged 91 and living in Whitstable, Kent, owing money to utility companies and debt collection agencies becoming involved. Farr was subsequently found guilty of fraud following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court. Confiscation proceedings were held at the same court last Wednesday, where it was agreed that Farr's actual financial benefit was in fact £13,910.
Judge Simon Taylor KC was also informed that her available assets amounted to £84. He therefore ordered that that sum should be paid as compensation within 28 days, with an extra seven days in prison if she failed to do so. Farr was not required to attend the hearing.
At her trial, jurors heard that for almost two years she deceived the pensioner by intercepting her mail and phone calls, as well as redirecting Ms Hutchings's savings into her own bank account. She was also found to have a calendar marked with the dates on which the victim's pension was paid.
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Farr claimed her grandmother had consented to handing over money while she cared for her, with much of it spent on her. Trying to explain where unaccounted money had gone, she pointed the finger at Ms Hutchings, claiming she "liked her food" and was a "big eater" of oriental cuisine.
Farr, formerly of Croydon, South London, said the pensioner could spend up to £20 a week on sugary treats, £180 sending her pet to "dog school" and would shell out £35 a time for the animal to be walked. She also argued the financial agreement was "above board" and designed to benefit the whole family.
Her scam came to light after Mrs Hutchings suffered a series of falls and while in hospital her son Ronald discovered her bank accounts were overdrawn. At the time of Farr's sentencing hearing in May, Stewart Ross-Cumming, a financial investigator for the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Farr's offending was simply callous and calculated with no consideration for the impact this was having on her victim.
"Nobody should think they can avoid justice when exploiting members of the public." Despite the limited confiscation order made by the court under the Proceeds of Crime Act, offenders can still be pursued if they are found to have further funds at a later date.