Burglar caught on camera demanding 88-year-old dementia patient hands over wallet dodges jail

A woman has evaded jail after she was caught on camera attempting to steal from an 88-year-old man who suffers from dementia.

Carol Lewis, 50, tricked the elderly man into allowing her into his home at 5am in the morning, pleading for milk and sugar.

Her victim’s distraught family caught her on camera demanding their granddad hand over his wallet, after hundreds of pounds had already gone missing from his home.

‘It’s f**king freezing outside’

The footage, from a secret camera installed by the victim’s family, captured Lewis making small-talk before ordering him to give her money.

Lewis struck at his flat in Ladywood, Birmingham, on 26 October last year.

She can be heard on the video telling him: “It’s f**king freezing outside", adding that she bets he’s nice and warm in his bed while she’s been stuck outside on the streets.

The 88-year-old is shown in his t-shirt and boxer shorts, searching for his wallet while telling her: "I don't know where it is, there's nothing in it.”

He then desperately tries to find the wallet while Lewis follows him around his home and rifles through his jacket.

Lewis, of Ladywood, left empty-handed but was arrested by West Midlands Police when she tried to burgle his home at 6am just six days later.

She admitted two counts of burglary and another of fraud relating to another vulnerable man when she appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on May 4.

She was handed an 18-month prison term, suspended for two years.

‘It’s “unbelievably lenient’

The victim’s granddaughter Jade Wardle, 28, blasted the sentence, branding it “unbelievably lenient”.

She said: “In showing the video of my granddad being conned by this person I want to send a warning to other people who have vulnerable loved ones.

“Watching it made me sick to my stomach. It was horrible to see her shouting at him.

“She was really intimidating and her tone was just horrible and cruel.

“When I found out she wasn’t being jailed I was shocked. She’s still out there and could easily do this again. It just makes me really sad.”

The judge did not fine Lewis either, commenting that it would be an added incentive to steal again.

Jade added: “When granddad walked into the kitchen she started going through his coat, obviously looking for his wallet.

“Before we put the camera in his home, my mum hid his wallet just in case.

“All the while, she keeps shouting at him about how cold it is outside and even says she bet he’s nice and warm in his bed while she’s been stuck outside on the streets.”

‘Showed absolutely no remorse’

The victim, who has 15 grandchildren, suffers from high blood pressure and was rushed to hospital on the same day Lewis walked free from court.

Jade added: “The judge said he wouldn't give her a fine because he felt this would only encourage her to steal again. That just says everything.

"The sentence is just so unbelievably lenient.

"This woman is a thief and showed absolutely no remorse. This woman should have been sent to prison to keep people like my granddad safe. Granddad has been the victim of grooming.

“She must have known that he wouldn't have been able to remember who she was or where his money was going missing.

"She must have spoken to someone and planned out this burglary knowing that granddad would be less likely to give a statement to police or be able to identify her."

Lewis also admitted targeting another man, in his 50s, between June and September last year.

She was also ordered to take part in a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement order.

Report from SWNS

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