Welwyn Garden City woman to be sentenced for fraud (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Welwyn Garden City woman to be sentenced for fraud

4:47pm Thursday 11th June 2009

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A WELWYN Garden City woman befriended cancer victims and dying elderly women before scamming cash from them.

Joann Wood, of Knightsfield, who is due to be sentenced for fraud, admitted to scamming more than £80,000 from victims after conning her way into their homes and making friends off gay and lesbian chatrooms.

She conned victims across the country, claiming she was dying of cancer or needed cash to buy into a business.

The 53-year-old also befriended elderly people, some who were terminally ill, and acted as their carer. On leaving, she would steal some of her patients' Class A medication to persuade other victims she was being treated for cancer.

Wood has admitted six charges of fraud by false representation and two counts of possessing Class A drugs. She is due to be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court in the next few weeks.

Wood, who is originally from Nottinghamshire, befriended people through lesbian and gay websites with a view to forming a relationship.

Once she had gained their trust by declaring her love for them, she would claim she needed money for cancer treatment. Her eldest victim was in her mid-80s.

Her scams also extended to staying in hotels and leaving without paying.

As well as claiming she was vet, or a police officer –with ranks ranging from a Detective Constable to a Detective Chief Inspector – Wood also claimed she was a nurse and used her basic first aid skills to con her way into caring for elderly people, often those who were dying.

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