Anne King, 56, jailed for stealing war widow's pension from mother-in-law

SHE stole the war widows' pension from her mother-in-law – and carried on plundering the account even after she was caught.

Now Anne King, 56, has been jailed for 10 months for stealing £25,945.80.

King stole from the bank account of her husband's mother, who died aged 92, and was arrested in 2010. She received a conditional discharge from magistrates but then carried on stealing.

She pocketed her mother-in-law's £200-a-week war widow's pension, when she should have been using it to pay the old lady's care home fees, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

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Instead, the taxpayer had to pick up the bill.

King, of Fairmead, Cam, near Dursley, admitted stealing from Joan King between 9 April 2008 and 28 August 2010.

Judge Jamie Tabor told her: "In 2010 it was discovered you were stealing from her bank account. You were prosecuted and Stroud Magistrates dealt with you in a lenient manner by giving you a conditional discharge. But you then continued to steal the war widow's pension.

"I'm afraid it's at that stage that whatever sympathy anyone might have for you evaporates."

Prosecutor Ian Dixey said when Mrs King Snr went into The Elms care home in Stonehouse, the bill was paid by t county council but she had to hand over the pension.

But King had the pension payments transferred to her own bank account and then withdrew the money to pay her own expenses.

In January 2009, because the care fees had not been paid, The Elms contacted the county council who were obliged to meet the deficit, Mr Dixey said.

The council contacted King and she agreed to pay the authority back at £500 a month but she did not.

In October 2009 Mrs King senior's building society became suspicious about withdrawals from her account and informed her social worker. That led to King being charged with three offences of fraud and receiving a 12 months conditional discharge from Stroud Magistrates.

Later, the thefts of the pension money were also uncovered.

Mr Dixey said police gave her the chance of repaying in four weeks to avoid prosecution but she did not. Joe Maloney, defending, said: "It is difficult to get to the bottom of where this money has gone. It has been spent on a whole raft of things, but not luxuries."

He asked for a suspended sentence but Judge Tabor said "She was stealing from her husband's mum. His dad died while serving his country and she has been stealing the money his widow was entitled to."