A THIEF left a dementia-stricken pensioner with only 20p to her name after she stole £12,500.

Elizabeth Shimell, 67, stole the money from her friend over ten months and used it to pay a man she met on Facebook.

He claimed he was trapped in Ghana and need money to escape but it was all a scam.

Shimell had been initially using her own money but when it ran out, she began using funds trusted to her by Olive Sage, 83, who had moved into a care home due to her dementia.

She had granted Shimell joint power of attorney of her finances with Beverley Jay.

Shimell, of Bellfield Avenue, Brightlingsea, sobbed as Caroline Gardiner, prosecuting, told Chelmsford Crown Court how care home staff inadvertently made the discovery in January.

She said: “The defendant had been Mrs Sage’s neighbour for seven years and had grown close.

“In January, ten months after she moved into the care home, a member of staff accidentally opened a letter addressed to Mrs Sage, which was a bank statement.

To the staff ’s shock, the balance showed she had only 20p remaining.

“Beverley Jay was contacted who in turn contacted the bank.

“Their records from the past 12 months showed withdrawals of between £100 and £200 had been made.

“Ms Jay concluded only the defendant would have access to the account, and phoned the police, who arrested the defendant in March.

“She was interviewed where she admitted to withdrawing the money, admitting she had sent it to a man she met on Facebook, who claimed to be an American trapped in Ghana and needed money to escape.

“In the interview she does say she takes some money out for the victim, but that doesn’t come to any more than £1,000.”

“She also admitted to withdrawing the cash from her cash card in Tesco, claiming that she ‘wasn’t thinking’ half the time.”

Lucy Ginsberg, mitigating for Shimell, said she was a “very lonely elderly lady” who would not have committed the theft under different circumstances.

She said: “The defendant has been going through a considerably difficult time, and has no remaining family to speak of with her friends limited to those she talks to online.

“She lost her daughter last year to bowel cancer. This year, she also lost her brother, to whom she was very close.

“In her loneliness, she found herself signing up to sites and becoming friends with people she didn’t know, which is how she fell into the scam’s grip.

“She is keen to pay all of the money back.”

Judge Michael Ashe QC told Shimell: “You have committed an extremely serious breach of trust in a vulnerable elderly lady.

“Whilst you were also the victim of a scam, the fact you were duped shows a degree of stupidity which is breathtaking.”

Shimell admitted theft and was given an eight month prison sentence suspended for two years.

She will also have to pay Olive Sage £60 compensation per week starting in October.

Judge Ashe added: “You are not getting off scot-free.

“This weekly payment will hinder your living but you should have thought of that before doing this dastardly deed.”