Heroin addict jailed after £5k theft from her neighbour

Tracey Rowley’s actions were branded “wicked” by a judge who sentenced her to two years in prison.

She admitted stealing £5,350 from the 77-year-old over several weeks between December 2018 and March 2019 including while he was in hospital.

He was as a “vulnerable and lonely” man who had lost his wife and has no family, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

He considered Ms Rowley as a “good friend” and trusted her to look after his home while he was in hospital.

But Rowley, of the Norton area in Stourbridge, breached his trust.

Judge Michael Challinor told the court: “He was in hospital, ill, and she was stealing his money while pretending to look after his house.

"She has a high culpability. She deliberately targeted the victim because of his vulnerability.

"He is a man who lost his wife, has got no family or friends. It is a wicked thing to do.

"You pretended to be his friend and casually stole from him, leaving him confused and saddened.”

Rowley pleaded guilty to three counts of theft.

Count two heard she accessed his safe which allegedly had £1,000 inside.

The victim told the court his will and birth certificate also went missing from the safe.

He lent money on numerous occasions as she promised to pay him back.

But he told the court: “I never saw a penny.”

One incident caused alarm among bank staff at Halifax in Stourbridge where the police were called.

Rowley accompanied the victim into the bank on January 8, 2019, where he intended to pay a bill.

Giving evidence, bank manager Julie Razzo said: “I was concerned about the victim. He was accompanied by a lady who appeared to be intimidating him. I established he had come into the bank to pay a bill – but to someone else.

“When I looked at his account I was concerned. [There was] multiple withdrawals taking [place] over a period of months when his money had gone down considerably.”

He was taken to an interview room for a chat while Rowley was told to have a seat. But she refused and hovered outside the door – before at one point bursting in. This prompted Mrs Razzo to call police “on the victim’s behalf” – but the defendant left before officers arrived.

The court heard Rowley has 95 convictions, of which 55 are related to theft.

Defending, Ms Balvinder Bhatti, said: “She was a user of crack and heroin between late 2018 and January 2019. She was friends with the victim and did ask for money.

"She did attempt to pay him back with a small amount. She has suffered with this addiction since 2006. She wants to apologise to him. When she was a good friend to him at first.”

A trial was held on Monday but Rowley entered a late guilty plea on Tuesday.

Rowley was sentenced to 22 months in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of theft.

She was given a further two months of imprisonment, under the Bail Act, to run consecutively.