Fraudster, 49, is spared jail for stealing £74,580 from her 'highly vulnerable' brain-damaged father and splurging the cash on Amazon and iTunes after she was entrusted to look after his money following road crash

• The court heard that Tamara Whiting commited a 'clear abuse of power' 
• The fraud went on for over a decade before it was uncovered 

A fraudster who callously stole almost £75,000 from her own father after he suffered serious brain damage following a road accident has avoided jail time. 

Hull Crown Court heard that in a 'clear abuse of power' Tamara Whiting withdrew money that was awarded to her father for his injuries through cash machines while also spending it on goods and to pay off credit card bills. 

Whiting continued her spending spree using her father's cash for a 'sustained period of time', spanning over a decade, before it was eventually discovered and investigated. 

The 49-year-old from Rokeby Park in west Hull has been handed a two year suspended prison sentence after she admitted fraud.  

Between January 15 and October 2, 2007 Whiting made cash withdrawals for the benefit of herself while in the position of Receiver of his money.

Whiting also admitted that between September 30, 2007 and February 21, 2018 she had withdrawn money from her father's bank account to the value of £24,000.

Ashleigh Metcalfe, prosecuting, said that, in July 1995, Whiting's father suffered brain injuries after a road accident and his mental capacity was severely impacted. 

His former wife was appointed as the Receiver of money involving him. A compensation award of £180,000 was made following the accident.

The court heard that the couple separated in 2005 and a divorce was finalised. In May 2007, the accident victim was moved from the matrimonial home to sheltered accommodation.

In June 2006, the ex-wife was discharged as his Receiver and Whiting took over that responsibility. Her father died in June 2022 at the age of 71.

It was later discovered that Whiting fraudulently obtained a total of £74,580 in cash withdrawals and payments to companies such as Amazon and iTunes as well as credit card repayment companies. Most of the missing money was cash withdrawals.

Miss Metcalfe said: 'There was a clear abuse of power'. 

'The fraudulent activity was over a sustained period of time. The funds are being recouped by the Court of Protection.' 

She added that Whiting's father was 'clearly a highly vulnerable individual' at the time.

Stephen Robinson, mitigating, said that 'unfortunately' Whiting stole money that she was supposed to be responsible for safeguarding on behalf of her father. 

'She is repaying the money,' said Mr Robinson.

Whiting did 'deserve' to go to prison and she realised how close she had come to doing so. She had no previous convictions. There were two references for her.

Recorder Tahir Khan KC said: 'She stole money from her father while she was supposed to be looking after his funds. She is a low risk of further offending.'

Whiting was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, and 240 hours' unpaid work. 

'If you commit a further offence over the course of the next two years, you run the risk of being brought back to court and having to serve the two years that I have imposed,' said Judge Khan. 

He added: 'Let's not have you back before the court.'