Worthing woman jailed for fraud

A woman has been jailed after defrauding an elderly woman out of £24,000.

Melanie Stanbridge, of Maybridge Square, Worthing, abused her position of trust when caring for her 94-year-old victim, regularly withdrawing hundreds of pounds from her bank account when she was believed to be spending £30 a week on shopping.

The 46-year-old’s actions became known when police were contacted with concerns around her behaviour at the end of October 2020.

Stanbridge was suspended from work whist the investigation took place. She was arrested and released on bail. She was then further arrested for failing to appear in court for her plea hearing.

On October 31 this year, Stanbridge pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position and returned to Brighton Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday, December 13, where she was handed a 27 month custodial sentence.

Detective Constable Jordan Holmes, of the serious and complex crime unit said of the sentencing: “Melanie Stanbridge took advantage of an elderly woman she was supposed to be taking care of, brazenly using her debit card at every opportunity and depositing these large sums of money into her own bank account.”

“I welcome her sentence and thank my colleagues for their unwavering determination to ensure that justice was served.”

“Sussex Police will always deal with opportunistic criminals robustly, and I urge the public to continue reporting any such instances to us at the earliest opportunity.”