Terminally ill woman conned out of £70,000

A 32-year-old man who defrauded a terminally ill woman out of £71,450 has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Wassim Al Ashkar, of Oxford Road, Kidlington, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.

Between 2011 and 2013, Al Ashkar was employed as a full-time live-in carer for the 67-year-old woman who suffered from an advanced stage of multiple sclerosis.

She was bed bound at her home in Kidlington, relying on full time assistance and only leaving the bed for the occasional visits to the hospital.

After Al Ashkar left his role in March 2013, a relief carer noticed irregularities with the victim’s finances.

An investigation was carried out and discovered that Al Ashkar had used the victim’s bank cards to steal £71,450 from her.

It is believed he spent most of the money on gambling in local bookmakers.