Granddaughter defrauded granddad of life savings for drug binge

Olivia Crutchley stole close to £75,000 from her own close relative after becoming addicted to prescription painkillers.

The 23-year-old sat emotionless in court as the devastating impact of her shameful offending was laid bare, which was to the detriment of her grandfather’s health.

She was charged with fraud by false representation, and she appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, Monday.

The court heard from prosecutor Paul Blasbery how the deception spanned a period of around 18 months, from December 2020 to June last year.

The 79-year-old victim was the grandfather to the defendant, to which she was his eldest granddaughter and to whom he shared a ‘strong bond’.

She lived with him and his wife for a period while she was a teenager and he supported her through school.

There was an incident which saw her move out after an allegation that she had taken £10 from his wife’s purse, but after much upset and not seeing and speaking to her much over a year, their relationship returned to normal.

The fraud began when Crutchley told her granddad that she had secured a job at B&Q in Winwick and had been promoted to the assistant manager position.

She said that she required further training in locations around the country however, and that the company would not be paying for either the sessions, expenses, travel or accommodation.

Olivia Crutchley was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Cheshire Police)

The fraudster had in fact made this job up, as well as what was to come as part of the deception which saw her send her grandfather 140 forged emails requesting money, with Mr Blasbery calling the scam a ‘complete and utter fabrication’.

Emails screenshotted and sent to the victim on WhatsApp by the defendant included a bogus meeting with Citizens Advice about recovering money supposedly owed to Crutchley by B&Q, and requests for money to pay lawyers handling the case, which did not exist.

On each occasion, the defendant’s grandfather would agree to requests for money due to Crutchley not having the funds to pay herself.

The victim’s suspicions were aroused by details in one particular email, and the fact it was sent from an AOL email address rather than a company email, as would be expected from a law firm.

Investigations revealed that the total figure obtained through the fraud was £74,968.86 – the life savings of her grandfather and his wife.

The court heard how they had taken credit cards out to pay for the requests, obtained two bank loans and borrowed money from friends and family.

They also exchanged leftover Euro currency and sold personal items including their car ‘to the point where they did not have anything’.

In an impact statement, the granddad explained how her actions put a strain on his 51-year marriage with his wife and affected his health, rarely sleeping and having high stress levels.

It referenced his ‘shame’ in asking friends and family for money and having to turn down invites to parties and social events as they could not afford to go.

She claimed to have secured a job at B&Q as part of the fraud. Picture: Google Maps

His wife could not even afford a new pair of glasses needed to see properly, while the victim feels ‘depressed and anxious, with a weight on his chest’.

“I do not want anything else to do with her. Her actions were deliberate and calculated. I do not know why she has done this to me after all the help I have given her over the years,” he said.

“She deserves to be punished, and that is not something I thought I would ever say. She has taken my life savings from me and turned my life upside down, with no financial safety net to rely on.

“I am worried about getting by in daily life as I am in considerable debt due to her. I have no money to pay for my or my wife’s funerals should the worst happen.”

The statement added that the situation has caused hands to shake, he cannot get what she has done out of his mind and has days where he does not want to get out of bed in the morning.

The defendant, who has no previous convictions and was supported in court by family members, was arrested in October last year and made a full admission of her guilt.

In defence of her client, Rosemary Proctor said: “The defendant has destroyed her relationship with a man who she described as her best friend growing up, and she has to live with that.”

She commented that Crutchley was addicted to opiate drugs and was ‘desperate’ when she committed the offence, not thinking about the consequences of her actions, only her addiction.

The court heard how ‘her addiction was her world as it spiralled’, consuming 60 prescription painkillers a day.

Olivia Crutchley was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court

Ms Proctor added that the defendant has a ‘realistic prospect of rehabilitation’, having sought help and getting clean from drugs, and wants to work and be able to pay her grandfather back.

Before sentencing, recorder Graham Wells said: “I have to sentence you for a very unpleasant, mean and destructive offence.

“You have destroyed your relationship and the peace and quietness of his retirement and time with his wife, after making demands and playing on their good nature.

“This was cleverly run and you took him for all he had, and then some. This was a sophisticated and well planned operation against a vulnerable man over a long period of time.”

He continued: “It takes it up a category with the effect on him. His marriage had a strain put on it, which is terrible at his age, and his health was demolished.

“I have considered whether I can suspend the sentence. The simple answer is that as factors are so awful, no I cannot.

“There has to be punishment and deterrence, and you are going to prison immediately.”

Crutchley, of Windermere Avenue in Orford, was sentenced to two years in prison.

Given the unrealistic ability to repay the money, given the defendant’s limited means and the amount defrauded, recorder Wells said it was inappropriate to impose an order for compensation.