A Bolton drug addict who stole a bank card from a recently deceased elderly man to drain his lifesavings and tried to throw it to his girlfriend while IN THE DOCK has been jailed today.
Gareth John Kemp, 40, of Woodfield Street, Bolton, admitted fraud by false representation and was handed a 20-month jail sentence at Bolton Magistrates.
The body of Thomas Hulme, 72, was found on Westcourt Road on April 18 and it is believed that Kemp had been living there three weeks prior to the death.
There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death but it is believed he had been dead for a number of weeks.
Kemp appeared in court the next day for an unrelated charged but while in the dock he tried to throw a bank card to his girlfriend who was in the public gallery. The bank card was seized and found to belong to the deceased.
Officers examined the bank records of the victim and found that the balance of his account had reduced from £4440.91 on March 11 to £4.78 overdrawn on April 15.
Detective Constable Andy Devine, said: “Draining an elderly man’s life savings after he has died is in my eyes tantamount to grave robbing.
“The victim put a roof over Kemp’s head and got nothing in return other than betrayal.”
Kemp had made numerous withdrawals of £100 at various locations and the pattern of spending was vastly in excess of previous months. Officers also viewed CCTV of Kemp near to cash machines at the time withdrawals were made.
On interview Kemp admitted withdrawing all the money from the account to pay for drugs.
DC Devine said: “Over just a few weeks Kemp blew a significant amount of money to feed a habit and his ghoulish actions reflect the kind of appalling lengths some people will go to when dependent on drugs.
“Drug addiction blights many lives and, as this case shows, can impact on the lives of the most innocent of residents.
“Hopefully a stint in prison will help cure him of this terrible affliction and help him to see the error of his ways.”
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia Commons, with thanks
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