There are times when people who are scammed find themselves in a very difficult financial position. If you have lost a lot of money and there doesn’t appear to be any way to recover the money, you may find yourself facing a very difficult financial position. Even if you have reported the scam and followed through all procedures when it comes to being the victim of a crime, many people do not receive anything back in return. This may place people in a difficult position and when you consider that they are likely to be feeling angry and aggrieved about the circumstances that led to the situation, you can see why some people may end up committing a crime.
This was the case for a cleaner who was found to have been stealing from a 91 year old widower she was providing services for. The woman had been the victim of an internet dating scam but clearly two wrongs do not make a right in this sort of situation. The family of the victim, who has sadly since passed away, had their suspicions over the cleaner and they installed hidden CCTV cameras around the home and these cameras ensured that there was footage of Jennifer Williams rooting through boxes in the home of Kenneth Brewer. Later on, two valuable rings which were stored in this location were found to be missing.
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Sometimes the opportunity to commit crime is too much
Williams, 56 years old, had been employed by a firm to provide cleaning services for Mr Brewer who struggled to care for himself after his wife passed away. The two rings that had been taken were engagement rings and while they were worth over £6,500, there was undoubtedly a great deal of sentimental value attached to the rings. This would have been a big blow to the family, and would possibly have been more damaging than the financial loss associated with the rings.
There is no doubt that some people find that they are unable to resist temptation when it arises. Obviously there will be times in people’s lives when they are more likely to commit crime than other times because they have different desires and demands for money at different times. This means that some people who would normally be able to resist temptation find that they are unable to resist the opportunity when it is presented to them. This may well have been the case for Williams who herself suffered due to a major crime.
Online scams can have a damaging impact
Williams turned to crime after she had been scammed out of £12,000 on an online dating scam. She thought she was sending money to an American serviceman but in actual fact, the money was being sent to a conman from Nigeria. For her crimes, Williams pleaded guilty to the theft at the Crown Court in Exert.
Recorder Malcom Galloway adjourned the case while waiting for a probation per-sentence report. He said to Williams; “I need to know more about you before I decide what sentence is appropriate. All options are open. You were the cleaner for a vulnerable 91-year-old man and stole two rings of great sentimental value.”
The prosecution said that they would not be looking to pursue any other allegations of converting criminal property but they did state that they hope Williams will provide a signature on a disclaimer for cash that had been seized by police after she was arrested.
Joss Ticehurst was representing the defendant in court and said; “My client is 56 and suffers from depression, anxiety, and arthritis and is living in rented accommodation and is reliant on state benefits. She was been the victim of an internet scam. She was exceedingly naive and rather stressed and anxious at the time of this offending.”
While there is no excuse for carrying out a crime of this nature, there is no doubt that levels of mitigation can be raised after a crime has been carried out. This is where hiring a skilled and experienced solicitor can help to present the most robust and reliable defense. There is no getting away from the fact that someone who commits a crime of this nature needs to be dealt with, but there are reasons why people take certain actions and this is why the right solicitor can have a positive impact, no matter how bleak things look.
