A handyman from Shropshire has been sentenced to three years in prison for a 'shameful' abuse of trust that saw him steal more than £100,000 from a vulnerable elderly woman.
A Calculated Betrayal of Trust
Simon Appleby, 40, of Letton in Bucknell, first met the victim while working as a cleaner. After his employer went bust in September 2019, he began performing odd jobs for the woman, who lived in south Shropshire. Tasks included painting her garage and changing light bulbs.
The woman, who trusted Appleby because she 'knew him', allowed him to use her laptop to access her online banking to pay himself for his work. Over the next 39 months, until her death in December 2022, Appleby exploited this access to make 41 unauthorised payments to himself, totalling £102,627.
Final Payment Made as Victim Lay Dying
The fraud reached a particularly sickening low in the victim's final hours. Appleby visited her in hospital and, upon discovering she was unconscious, went directly to her home. There, he logged onto her computer and transferred £15,000 to himself at 7.56pm on December 12, 2022. The woman died in hospital just one hour later.
West Mercia Police investigators found that Appleby had claimed some payments were for materials, including for a garage door he said he would replace but never did. He was unable to provide any proof for these supposed purchases.
Justice Served at Shrewsbury Crown Court
Following concerns raised by the victim's family after her death, a police investigation was launched. Appleby was charged with fraud by false representation and pleaded guilty in August 2024.
On Monday, December 22, he was jailed for three years at Shrewsbury Crown Court. Detective Constable Emily Cooke of West Mercia Police said: "I welcome the sentence given to Appleby, whose actions were a shameful abuse of trust, targeting a vulnerable woman who relied on him for help and support."
She added: "To take more than £100,000 from her over an extended period, was deeply dishonest and morally inexcusable... The fact that he continued to pay himself even as she lay unconscious in hospital shows the extent of his deceit."
DC Cooke commended the victim's family for coming forward and stated she hoped the sentence sent a clear message that those who exploit vulnerable people would be investigated and put before the courts.
