Melissa Humphreys who stole £180k from parents is jailed

A cruel daughter who stole up to £180,000 from her elderly parents whilst they were on a dream retirement trip has been jailed for three years.

Melissa Humphreys, of Colchester, Essex, maxed out their credit cards and cleared their bank accounts when they were travelling around Europe in a motorhome.

Wearing a pink scarf and grey jacket the brunette fraudster wept in the dock as her crimes were laid bare.

Over the course of four years Humphreys stole her parents – Elizabeth, 79, and Terence Fordham – life savings, leaving them ‘living in misery’.

Her devastated 80-year-old dad said he felt betrayed and a victim impact statement revealed: ‘What has happened has been life changing for me, there’s not a day goes by without something triggering it and the emotions and memories come back to me.

‘I love my daughter Melissa to me she was my first born and the sun shone from her eyes.

‘To this day I don’t understand why or how she could do this to us, she has let the whole family down.’

And added: ‘As the enormity of it was revealed it was like the bottom of my world had fallen out.’

Chelmsford Crown Court heard today that the trainee financial advisor was entrusted with her parents finances after they left in 2006.

Over the course of four years she frittered the cash away and used five credit cards to run up the debt and kept her parents in the dark.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard today that the trainee financial advisor was entrusted with her parents finances after they left in 2006

She did not splash the cash on holidays, cars and expensive clothes and the court was told she had nothing to show for her crimes.

The wrongdoing was only uncovered when Elizabeth and Terence Fordham tried withdrawing cash from their bank accounts whilst in Spain after Humphrey’s sister Gail visited.

They asked her to investigate when she returned home, and Humphreys didn’t produce any bank accounts claiming they had all been ‘shredded’.

It was only when she contacted the banks directly and saw the overdrawn accounts that Gail found out what had happened.

The wrongdoing was only uncovered when Elizabeth and Terence Fordham tried withdrawing cash from their bank accounts whilst in Spain after Humphrey’s sister Gail visited

In an email she told Humphreys she was ‘ruining peoples lives and she could be going to prison because of it’.

Prosecutor Matthew Bagnall said: ‘Miss Humphreys was entrusted with her parents bank accounts and their finances and over an extended period of time Miss Humphries drained their bank account and used credit cards to fund her own lifestyle.

‘They sold their house after retiring in March 2006 for £225,000 they bought the motorhome for £125,000, settled other debts left with £54,820.64 in a Halifax banK account.

‘They planned to travel around Europe in their motor home and to assist them in their financial matters they arranged for their daughter to have access to the bank account ie savings to pay for any expenses incurred.

‘This was restricted for day to day management for parent’s expenses not for personal gain or use.’

In mitigation Steven Levy said his client had not intended to steal so much but the debt spiralled out of control.

He told the court: ‘Ultimately her thoughts were I will take £50 and pay it back at the end of the month, but this was a snow ball that never stopped.’

Mr Levy also claimed Humphreys had been using the cash to help her ex-husband out financially after he was made redundant and said Humphreys had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Sentencing Judge Patricia Lynch QC said: ‘You reduced your parents who left you in charge of their hard earned money to virtual penury.

‘They have worked hard all of their lives, they have saved, they have paid off all their debts and bought themselves a motor home intending to travel and ultimately retire in France after a lifetime of working hard.

‘They left you in charge of their finances in effect entrusting you with their bank account and credit card and you systemically drained their hard earned money to fund your own lifestyle.

‘I have read their victim impact statement and it is not only pain of knowing you as your father described, a beloved daughter, doing this to them, it’s not losing all of their money.

‘It is the agony of the threats and the shame of being in debt as a result of other debt you ran up on the credit cards and the threatening phone calls they receive.

‘You have left them living in misery instead of enjoying their retirement they are left them without anything in a motor home miles away from their roots.’

Humphreys previously admitted four counts of fraud and two of theft.

Her family declined to comment after the hearing.