A CARER has been jailed for defrauding an elderly Hampshire woman.

Susan Tyler, aged 59, was jailed for 40 weeks after pleading guilty of money laundering.

Winchester Crown Court heard that during a search of an address at which Tyler resided, documentation linked to fraudulent activity was located by officers.

Investigators later discovered that she had made 123 separate PayPal transactions, using two separate PayPal accounts, over a period of 12 months.

During this time she also made several payments to a number of companies by using personal details obtained fraudulently of a elderly Hampshire victim for whom she was employed to care for.

She used the victim’s name and bank details to open accounts and pay for purchases, bills and loans, for her own financial gain.

Detective Sergeant, Marcus Mills, said: "An offender has been brought to justice and handed a significant custodial sentence – after preying on vulnerable and elderly victim. She abused her position of power in the cruellest of ways, and showed little remorse for someone who she had a duty of care for. This was a complex investigation which has yielded a positive outcome.

"The cost to Tyler’s victim has been traumatic, having caused untold distress and worry – so we are pleased to see that she is no longer a threat to the local communities of Hampshire and Surrey. “In handing down this sentence, which reflects the nature and severity of her criminal activity, we hope that this will act as a future deterrent to those individuals seeking to abuse positions of trust or exploiting the elderly and vulnerable.

"We will always seek to bring offenders to justice and with this bring closure to their unfortunate victims who have been preyed upon.”