Company director Mary Jane Haigh, 63, has been jailed for six years after stealing more than £550,000 from her elderly and vulnerable father-in-law, David Skippen, whose life savings she was entrusted to manage while purportedly caring for him. The case highlights the abuse of trust involved in financial elder abuse, with Haigh draining Mr Skippen's savings to bankroll a lavish lifestyle before walking away once the money had run out, leaving the taxpayer to cover £30,000 in unpaid care bills.

Haigh, a former public schoolgirl who ran a high-end equine transportation business, lived in a £500,000 converted barn where she kept horses and llamas and took regular holidays abroad. Despite appearing to be a successful businesswoman, she lacked the income to fund her lifestyle. Court details revealed she spent Mr Skippen's money on British Airways flights to the Caribbean and Peru, cleared an £86,875 John Lewis credit card bill, repaid a £50,000 loan on her stable yard, and paid for horse supplies, a car upgrade, her daughter's wedding and her grandchildren's nursery fees.