Woman given suspended sentence for £200,000 theft from elderly uncle

Sacha Goulden, 47, of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, has received a suspended prison sentence after stealing £200,000 from her elderly uncle. She was entrusted with access to his bank account to cover his care home expenses but instead used the funds to purchase drugs. Her admission to the theft was shown on the Channel 4 program 24 Hours In Police Custody. At Luton Crown Court, Goulden was handed a 24-month prison sentence, which has been suspended for a period of two years. She pleaded guilty to charges of theft and possession of a controlled drug, having misappropriated the money over an 18-month duration. According to the Channel 4 program, the victim was permitted to remain in his care home despite being unable to meet the necessary fees following the theft. Bedfordshire Police issued a statement indicating an increase in instances where elderly or vulnerable individuals become targets of scams or fraud. The police force stated: “This is often done in very sophisticated ways and is sometimes hard to detect, particularly when the perpetrator is a family member of close friend.” The force is advising the public to share fraud prevention guidance with vulnerable relatives and friends and to report any questionable activities to Action Fraud. For updates on news from Beds, Herts, and Bucks, information is available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Details regarding our policy on external linking are available for review.