Theresa Spice spent £500 on hair extensions for her daughter

by Paul Hooper

When Larry Yallop suffered a serious stroke, he naturally turned to close friends for help and comfort.

What he got from "carer" Theresa Spice, 42, was a "greedy, dishonest and selfish" woman who just helped HERSELF to his life savings.

But despite her mean crimes, the "callous" thief walked away from Canterbury Crown Court without having to go straight to prison.

Her 60-year-old victim told police: "I am completely shocked and devastated that Theresa could do this to me. I am so let down by her. She was somebody I thought was a friend.

"I was at a stage in my life when I was feeling particularly vulnerable and for somebody to take advantage of me like that is unbelievable. This has knocked me sideways."

As the poorly former caretaker, of Church Road, Cheriton, near Folkestone, was recovering in his hospital bed, the greedy mother-of-two emptied TWO bank accounts and went on a spending spree with his bank card.

In the space of a few weeks, Spice, of Roman Way, Folkestone, splashed out on:

• A car and £500 hair extensions for her daughter
• Drugs
• New furniture

And among the items she was planning to buy was a chair in the shape of stiletto shoe.

Jim Harvey, prosecuting, told Canterbury Crown Court how Mr Yallop had been a long-term friend of Spice and her family.

"Towards the end of 2010 he began suffering from very ill-health and suffered two mini-strokes in November of that year," he said.

"she is a simple soul, but not so simple she didn’t have the wit to have committed this kind of offence…” – oliver saxby, defending

"He was then hospitalised and in January last year suffered a more serious stroke."

The court heard Mr Yallop’s family became suspicious about Spice's activities and discovered money was going missing from his accounts.

Between November 30 and December 13, 2010, £3,650 was withdrawn by Spice in what the prosecution said was a "systematic clearing out of that account" - leaving him with just £35.

Spice then immediately moved onto a second account and began withdrawing £250 every day from December 13 to February 2 last year – while Mr Yallop was recovering in hospital.

Mr Harvey said she took £12,790 from that account, while running up £2,970 in charges on his bank card.

Spice – who has a conviction for theft 10 years ago - pleaded guilty to three charges of theft and fraud.

Oliver Saxby, defending, said: "On any analysis of the evidence, this was a mean offence. It was a breach of trust.

"She is a simple soul, but not so simple she didn’t have the wit to have committed this kind of offence. She isn’t somebody who has deep criminal depths."

Theresa Spice was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court

But Judge Simon James told Spice: "You callously betrayed the trust of a man who not only thought of you as a friend, but relied on you to care for him.

"In four months, you systematically drained his bank accounts, something near £20,000, and spent it not on necessities, but on drugs on a car and other luxuries for you and your family.

"You have demonstrated no remorse and at every turn tried to paint yourself as some sort of victim of circumstances. In reality you were greedy, dishonest and selfish."

Spice was given a six-month jail sentence - suspended for 18 months - and made subject to a 12-hour curfew for six months. She was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work.