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JAILED: Maria Anderson

A WOMAN responsible for caring for vulnerable elderly people has been jailed for six years after being found guilty of stealing their entire life savings.

Maria Anderson, 49, of Thornton Heath, south London, was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on (Nov 6) over five counts of fraud, two counts of theft and two counts of removing criminal property.

The court was told her victims placed their complete trust in Anderson who abused her position of power for financial gain.

Anderson came to England from Jamaica in 2001 and began working as a carer – a job in which she "systematically isolated her victims from their relatives and friends", police said.

Her victims were two elderly woman of Jamaican heritage – Victoria Francis and Maria Hylton – who both lost at least £600,000 to Anderson, who gained power of attorney over their financial affairs.

Chief crown prosecutor Baljit Ubhey said: “This was a heartbreaking case where two elderly ladies, lost their whole life savings. Maria Anderson preyed on these vulnerable women and abused her position of power as their carer.

“After gaining their trust and embedding herself into their lives she took control of their finances and their property. She then went on to defraud Mrs Hylton's son, Errol Satchwell.”

She added: “It is important to us that crimes against older people are reported and prosecuted and that older people have equal access to justice.”

In a statement from police, detective inspector Shaun White said: “Anderson is a calculating individual who preyed on vulnerable elderly adults.

“Instead of helping those who needed it most, she defrauded unsuspecting elderly victims of their savings for her own benefit.”

He added: “The victims and their families can now be assured that justice has indeed been done.”