Janet Rutt: Remorseless crook defrauded elderly South Yorkshire woman out of thousands under caring pretences
Callous Janet Rutt used her elderly victim’s money to indulge in shopping trips.
A woman has been sentenced to two years for preying on an elderly victim, after financial and ANPR work exposed her web of lies.
Janet Rutt, aged 56, used her relationship with the victim, who has since died, to her advantage to steal thousands of pounds, using the cash to indulge in shopping trips and fund her everyday living.
PC Lynn Robins, who has since retired from the force, was the officer in charge of the case when the investigation was first launched, but has been closely following the case through to court to ensure the victim's family saw the offender brought to justice.
She said: “Throughout this investigation, Rutt showed no remorse for her actions, thinking that a Power of Attorney position gave her entitlement to take whatever she liked for her own personal gain.
"The victim gave a detailed account of what had been going on, at a time when she needed people she could trust around her. Rutt abused that trust, hoping no one would ever find out. However, the hard work of our forensic accountant highlighted the true scale of Rutt’s actions towards the victim’s finances."
Rutt originally denied her crimes, stating she visited the victim in South Yorkshire up to three times a week to provide care but answering no comment in her interview when questioned about why she had been spending the victim’s money.
She was soon caught in her lies after ANPR work proved she did not visit the victim as frequently as she claimed, further refusing to comment when this evidence was presented to her.
Financial investigations further revealed how Rutt depleted the victim’s savings and pension income for her own gain and cancelled the delivery of bank statements to the victim’s address to hide evidence of her spending, whilst at the same time reassuring the victim that her money was in safe hands.
It was heard in court how Rutt tried to portray the victim to be more vulnerable than they were to social services, gaining a Power of Attorney over the victim’s finances and arranging for the victim to write a will, which left everything to Rutt.
Rutt's frivolous spending was uncovered after the victim asked her nephew to take her to the bank and discovered her account to have been emptied.
After being challenged, Rutt wrote to the victim stating she had power of attorney, and could override any decision the victim made. Rutt told the victim that she would need to sell her house and live with Rutt - this was so Rutt could continue to benefit financially from the victim.
Upon a visit to their home, the victim discovered personal documents were missing, including birth and marriage certificates. The police were soon called, and upon a search of Rutt's home the personal documents were uncovered.
Rutt, of Tebay Close, Middlesbrough, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court on April 22, 2024 where she changed her plea to guilty of fraud by abuse of position. She was sentenced to a two year suspended sentence at the same court on Tuesday (June 4, 2024).