Despicable couple stole £46,000 from elderly man

VICTIM: Edward Brain

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A VULNERABLE elderly man was systematically robbed of virtually every penny he had by two neighbours who had been close family friends for years.

Widower Edward Brain (83), had his bank and savings accounts plundered of almost £46,000 over two years by callous Carol Stevenson - who spent the money on household luxuries, clothes and presents.

Mr Brain - known to the family as John - suffered poor eyesight and hearing and led a simple life. He was said to have been devastated when he learned from police what had been going on. He died broken-hearted five months later.

Jailing Stevenson (50), and her husband Gary (55), at Manchester Crown Court, Mr Recorder Guy Mathieson told them: “This was cynical and despicable offending.”

Carol Stevenson was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to three counts of fraud. Her husband, who pleaded to a single count of possession of criminal property, was jailed for two years.

Recorder Mathieson said: “It is a great sadness to this court that within a few months of this being found out, Mr Brain died. “You blighted his last few years by your betrayal, and nothing I can say today can redress that loss to him. You spent his money at an incredible rate, taking what you wanted, when you wanted.”

He told Gary Stevenson, who had claimed to have known nothing of his wife’s stealing: “I’m firmly of the view that you knew what was going on and you sat back and enjoyed the benefits.”

Ironically, Mr Brain, of Lodge Lane, Delph, thought so much of Carol Stevenson he left her £500 in his will. The bulk of his estate was to have gone to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The court heard the Stevensons have no assets and there is no chance of recovering the money.

The fraud came to light when a care account in Mr Brain’s name went into arrears. His brother went through the accounts and found there was virtually nothing left.

Between 2011 and 2013 Mr Brain’s cheque account was cleared of £22,500, his credit card account of £1,356, and £22,580 had been taken from ATMs using his bank card. An ISA account worth more than £14,000 had only 61p in it; another only 84p.

Gary Stevenson’s offence related to £10,150 of Mr Brain’s cash paid into his and his wife’s joint account.

The court was told that by the time the stealing began, the pensioner was virtually housebound, and he had gratefully accepted help from Carol Stevenson whom he had known for some 13 years.

Jane Dagnall, defending, admitted the offences were “mean” and told the court the reason had been greed: “There was genuine affection for Mr Brain, but it was ready money and available.”


Relatives of Edward Brain have spoken of their relief at the sentence for the Stevensons, writes Robbie Gill.

Father and daughter Ron and Angie Brain, Edward’s brother and niece, were unaware of what was happening until they received a phone call from a care company telling them Edward owed £1,500.

Ron (83) said: “When his wife died, I started checking on him more, but I didn’t know what he had, I didn’t want to. I never gave it a thought.

“He always told me that she (Carol Stevenson) did everything for him. When I got the call saying he was in debt I was shocked.

“I asked him where his cheque book was and he said she (Carol Stevenson) had it and his debit card. We reported it but the bank didn’t want to know.

Angie (54) said: “He was adamant she (Carol Stevenson) was trustworthy. We didn’t know where to go so we got in touch with Age UK. They were magnificent.

“When the debit card was stopped they (the Stevensons) took out a credit card in his name. There’s no chance of getting it back. It’s vile behaviour.

“Now it’s all over we’re relieved. It’s been a very very long legal battle for a complex case. The police have been fantastic.

“It’s taken for ever to get to this day. It’s closure for us now and we want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

twitter: @RobbieGillOC