'Black widow' fraudster who scammed vulnerable pensioner then spent 16-month on run in Tenerife jailed

Published: 16:52, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 16:58, 3 August 2026 A fraudster dubbed the 'Black Widow' for spinning a web of lies which allowed her to swindle nearly £300,000 from a pensioner is in jail after 16 months on the run. Pamela Gwinnett, 63, isolated 89-year-old Joan Green from her family after posing as a carer for the retired accountant between December 2019 and November 2022. Gwinnett claimed she was nursing widowed Mrs Green, who lived in a bungalow in Chorley, Lancashire, during the COVID pandemic but was spending her money on expensive meals and Botox. Gwinnett fled to Tenerife, Spain in April 2025, claiming she needed to visit the island to scatter her brother's ashes, when prosecutors charged her with fraud and she was awaiting trial. She spent the next 16 months hiding out in the south of the volcanic island off the coast of Africa in a villa without sparing a thought for Mrs Green or her family. While abroad she spent her days getting her nails done and dipping in and out of a luxury swimming pool, having already spent £22,000 of Mrs Green's money on a car for herself. Meanwhile, Mrs Green's concerned family were left fighting false allegations planted with social services by Gwinnett alleging they were acting cruelly towards their relative. Gwinnett also had the gates to Mrs Green's home padlocked and her landline telephone number swapped to stop them visiting or talking to her. Gwinnett used pensioner Joan Green, 89, as 'a cash cow to be milked until she was dry'  She was only caught when Mrs Green's family were able to sneak in to visit and saw the pitiful state Gwinnett had left her in. Gwinnett was convicted in her absence of fraud by abuse of position last year and an extradition warrant for her arrest was authorised. She was tracked down by Sky News earlier this year and was then arrested in July and extradited back to Britain. Judge Michael Maher previously sentenced Gwinnett in her absence to six years and two months saying she treated Mrs Green, who died in November 2022, with 'utter contempt'. He jailed her for a further two months today at Preston Crown Court for breaching her bail conditions. He called Gwinnett an: 'intimidating' and 'manipulative' woman who used the life savings of Mrs Green to fund her 'extravagant lifestyle'. He said both Mrs Green and her late husband had worked hard their entire lives. 'But to you, Joan Green was simply a cash cow to be milked until she was dry,' the judge said. Pamela Gwinnett, 63, is now in jail for fraud after 16 months on the run in Tenerife, Spain  Joan Green was treated with no respect by Gwinnett who used her money to live a life of luxury  'And so having inveigled your way into their lives behind the charade that you were a benevolent friend to Joan, you set about playing the long game to isolate and control a vulnerable woman and thereby enrich yourself. 'The masquerade was so successful that she made you a lasting power of attorney within a relatively short time of knowing you. 'You provided no care for her at all. You bullied her and she was frightened of you.' Mrs Green's grandson, David Bolton, said: 'We are just relieved. We are very happy to finally see her in the dock and sent off to prison. It's been a long time coming. 'She has never apologised once. She's shown no remorse whatsoever through any of this.' Rosalind Scott-Bell, representing Gwinnett, said she went to Tenerife out of ‘fear, anxiety and mental health issues’. But Mr Bolton speaking on the steps of the court added: 'Regards her anxiety, that comes with committing crimes and getting caught. 'She wasn't that anxious when she was swimming in pools and getting her nails done, eating in restaurants and bars in Tenerife.'