Cleaner jailed for stealing £19k from 94-year-old man (From News Shopper)
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Cleaner Emma Toop jailed for stealing £19k from 94-year-old man
5:17pm Monday 9th July 2012 in Bromley By Robert Fisk
Cleaner Emma Toop was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court
A 'DESPICABLE' single mother who stole more than £19,000 from a vulnerable 94-year-old man has today been jailed for nine months.
Emma Toop, of Prestbury Square, Mottingham, stole Edgar Cordrey's bank card while she was working as a cleaner for him.
She was not officially employed in this capacity but Croydon Crown Court heard she took her mother's shifts when she was feeling ill.
The court was told the 29-year-old withdrew more than £19,000 from his bank account at cash machines between March and July last year.
She spent this money on paying off debts, a holiday in Portugal for her and her three children, clothing and toys for them as well as dance lessons for her daughter and football coaching for her son.
Toop had pleaded guilty to theft.
In mitigation Nicola Kay said: "She's very aware of the seriousness of the position she is in.
“Miss Toop accepts this was a despicable offence committed on an elderly man of advanced years.
"The money wasn't spent on a luxury lifestyle.
"She's remorseful and ashamed of her behaviour."
Miss Kay appealed to Judge Andrew Flahive to pass a suspended sentence because she said a custodial one would also punish her three children, including a six-month-old baby.
But the judge told Toop: "You abused the trust that had been placed in you by Mr Cordrey.
"He was an especially vulnerable victim and to my mind targeted by you.
"You must go to prison for this but I will keep the sentence as short as I reasonably can."
Upto half of Toop's nine month sentence is to be served in prison.
The court heard she has a previous conviction for benefit fraud.
Comments(21)
Rev. Sue Scottley
says...
6:11pm Mon 9 Jul 12
Chrisbitz
says...
6:13pm Mon 9 Jul 12
Not half as much as punishment as being brought up by a scumbag like her. Shame she'll only server half her sentence.
longshanks2
says...
6:48pm Mon 9 Jul 12
dag
says...
8:08pm Mon 9 Jul 12
Oldchap
says...
8:15pm Mon 9 Jul 12
dag wrote:Dead right - if she hadn't been caught how much more would she have taken
Unfortunately this isn't the first time and I doubt it will be the last time unscrupulous people pray on the elderly. She's only sorry she was caught!
And I wonder if she had done it before. Would be worth checking anyone else she'd worked for
bizzymum
says...
9:27pm Mon 9 Jul 12
And by the way NS it's Prestbury Square, Mottingham just a stones throw Ravensworth. Love that place!
Oldchap
says...
9:31pm Mon 9 Jul 12
bizzymum
says...
9:43pm Mon 9 Jul 12
Five Arches
says...
11:38pm Mon 9 Jul 12
mouthalmighty
says...
3:05am Tue 10 Jul 12
longshanks2
says...
9:42am Tue 10 Jul 12
cookster
says...
10:05am Tue 10 Jul 12
the wall
says...
11:09am Tue 10 Jul 12
http://www.bromley.g
ov.uk/press/article/
508/three_more_peopl
e_found_guilty_of_be
nefit_fraud_as_broml
ey_council_continues
_to_pursue_cheats
In a third case, earlier this month, Emma Toop, 29, of Beaconsfield Road, Mottingham, pleaded guilty to defrauding Bromley Council out of £12,196 in council tax benefit and housing benefit for the period February 2009 to November 2010. A referral from the Education Department in Bromley led to an investigation that showed Toop had moved out of a housing property 12 months previously but had failed to notify the Council. She was sentenced to a three month curfew from 6pm to 7am. The overpayment will be recovered by Bromley Council
cookster
says...
12:44pm Tue 10 Jul 12
reasonable75
says...
4:57pm Tue 10 Jul 12
jaded1
says...
6:13pm Tue 10 Jul 12
Come on chavs R US,have you no standards?
Gavinp
says...
6:21pm Tue 10 Jul 12
...as said crime obviously does pay these days..............
6 months for nearly £20k...............
..wonder if a drug dealer would of got the same for being caught with 10k of coke and 10k in cash??? where people willingly buy illegal substances off them....lol just some random thought:)
reasonable75
says...
7:06pm Wed 11 Jul 12
Note "up to" so that means she'll be out in 3 or 4 months. So £19k for 4 months (max) works out at £57k over a year
I'd like to earn £57k (obviously tax free) in a year
Like Gavinp said, crime does pay (handsomely)
steven56789
says...
9:35am Thu 12 Jul 12
Marty1979
says...
5:35pm Thu 12 Jul 12
steven56789 wrote:Eh?
shod have thort about kids in the frst place bet she did not thick wen she woz spending it
bizzymum says...
5:44pm Mon 9 Jul 12
Some hard working people can only dream of paying off their debts, having a holiday abroad, being able to buy their kids all the clothes and toys they want and pay for their kids to play for a local football team - which is roughly £30 a month out of the family budget.
And for all that you only have to serve half of a nine month prison sentence. Think I should change my job 'cos it would definitely appear that crime does pay these days.