Fraudster Pamela Gwinnett who fled to Tenerife sentenced further

Scott Bell added: “She knew at some point she would be arrested and that’s exactly what happened.

“She was, and is, of the view that she is not guilty of the offences.”

Judge Maher told Gwinnett: “Frankly your apology carries no weight at all.”

The judge thanked the Crown Prosecution Service in Lancashire and officers from Greater Manchester Police and the National Crime Agency for their roles in securing extradition.

He also praised journalists for “keeping the case in the public eye and ensuring Pamela Gwinnett was held accountable”.

Gwinnett, of Adlington, Lancashire, plundered the life savings of the retired accountant when she became her carer, as she controlled her finances and isolated her from her family.

Earlier this year, a TV crew from Sky News confronted Gwinnett outside her picturesque seaside apartment on the island.

She denied stealing from Mrs Green, who died in November 2022, and told the channel: “I don’t need to answer these questions. Did I heck take the money.”

Last year Judge Maher sentenced her as if she was present.

He said: “To you, 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.

“There was in my judgment a self-assured shamelessness to your fraudulent activity, to use the colloquialism, you have some brass neck Ms Gwinnett.”

As part of her scam, Gwinnett made a series of false claims against Mrs Green’s stepdaughter and step-grandchild, including theft and neglect, before she gained power of attorney.

Gwinnett used Mrs Green’s cash to fund an extravagant lifestyle as she bought a car worth £22,500 and enjoyed expensive beauty and Botox treatments.

Gwinnett has been ordered to repay the money she stole.