Fraudster who '˜groomed' widow cheating her out of thousands is jailed

A FRAUDSTER has been jailed for six years after cheating two widows out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The fraudster has been jailedThe fraudster has been jailed
The fraudster has been jailed

Stephen Floyd, 60, met the victims, 80 from Park Gate and 85 from Aldershot, while delivering food to them.

When their husbands died he got heavily involved with their care, obtained power of attorney and changed their wills so he was the main beneficiary.

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Hampshire police said Floyd – whose claim he put tens of thousands of pounds into charity tins was rejected – then siphoned off their cash to spend on gambling.

Investigating officer PC Vicky Cobley said: ‘Floyd groomed his victim from Park Gate into trusting him and went on to take out £32,000 of loans and a £20,000 mortgage in her name.

‘He then proceeded to remove money from her bank account and continued to siphon off money over the next decade leaving her continuously overdrawn by up to £2,000.

‘Our investigation has shown that tens of thousands of pounds were withdrawn by Floyd over that period of time for his own interest.’

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Floyd, of Orpen Road, Southampton, was jailed at Winchester Crown Court for six years.

He had taken £230,000 from the Aldershot victim’s account and lost more than £50,000 of this by gambling.

Floyd then put her in a nursing home and sold her house.

PC Cobley added: “This has been a particularly complex investigation that has including reviewing more than ten years’ worth of financial records to establish the true extent of Floyd’s fraudulent behaviour.

‘Floyd’s actions been particularly distressing for both his victims and their families, due to their age and vulnerability. ‘In both cases Floyd took advantage of women who had recently been bereaved which is utterly contemptible.’

Police are trying to clawback the cash from Floyd.