A WOMAN stole £5,500 from a disabled family friend while acting as her carer following the death of her mother.

Grandmother Margaret Jenkins from Blackwood was described by a judge as using the 36-year-old vulnerable victim as her own personal cashpoint.

The defendant fleeced the woman – who is registered blind, has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties – of her benefits over a four-month period.

Leah Pollard, prosecuting, said Jenkins used the money on herself for “a trip to Butlin’s, a gazebo, portable speakers and large quantities of flowers and shrubs”.

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In a victim impact statement read at Cardiff Crown Court, the complainant revealed: “This has left me feeling angry and sad.

“I'm angry because this hurts me as I thought I could trust her.

"This has made me feel very frightened and nervous with other people.”

She added: “I believed I could trust her and that she was a friend. She’s let me down by doing this.

“I've been very upset and this is causing me to cry a lot in relation to my money being stolen.

“I've given Margaret multiple chances to pay the money back and she's not done this.”

The court was told the defendant was given a “golden opportunity” by police to repay some of the cash in return for a conditional caution.

In the end, she handed back just £100.

Jenkins, aged 50, of Sir Ivor Road, Pontllanfraith admitted fraud by abuse of position.

The offence was committed between February and July 2022.

Kevin Seal representing the defendant asked for his client to be given the appropriate credit for her guilty plea.

Judge Paul Hobson told Jenkins: “Your victim had been living with her mother until December 2021 when her mother then passed away.

“Not long after that, within a few months, she came to live with you.

“You were her carer and you were also entrusted with looking after her finances as an appointee because she was unable to do so for herself.”

The judge added: “You were in a position of great trust and over the months that followed, you betrayed that trust.

“You helped yourself to the benefits that she was entitled to and you spent the money on nice things for yourself.

“You did that to the tune of just over £5,500.

“In other words, you treated this vulnerable, recently bereaved woman as a cashpoint for yourself.”

Jenkins was jailed for 12 months.

Judge Hobson told her: “I would observe that if in the future you had the opportunity to dishonestly obtain money, the facts of this case show that you would jump at the chance.”

He said to the defendant she had shown “little remorse and you’ve tried to blame others and minimise your actions”.