'Black Widow' British fraudster who fled to Tenerife after conning 89-year-old pensioner out of £300k arrested after landing in Manchester
Ms Green died in November 2022, before Gwinnett could be brought to justice
A British fraudster dubbed the 'Black Widow', who fled to Spain after conning 89-year-old pensioner out of her life savings, has been arrested after touching down in the UK.
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Pamela Gwinnett, 63, fled to Tenerife in April 2025 as she awaited trial after defrauding Joan Green, from Chorley, Lancashire, out of £300,000.
Now, in a bid to dish out justice, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) joined forces with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Spanish authorities to track down and extradite the fraudster back to the UK.
In her absence, Gwinnett was sentenced to six years behind bars, having previously been charged with theft and fraud by abuse of position.
Her crimes saw her isolate 89-year-old pensioner from her family, accusing her step-daughter and step-grandchild of a string of crimes including theft and neglect, before gaining power of attorney.
Ms Green died in November 2022, before Gwinnett could be brought to justice.
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As part of her scheme, Gwinnett used Mrs Green's money to bankroll her lavish lifestyle, purchasing a car worth £22,500 and cosmetic treatments including Botox.
Gwinnett continues to deny any wrongdoing, having previously insisted: "I don't need to answer these questions. Did I heck take the money."
Following her arrest, Gwinnet lodged a court application to vary her bail conditions, allowing her to purportedly scatter her brother's ashes in Tenerife - an appeal that was later refused.
She fled Tenerife hours after receiving notice of the refusal.
Officer in charge of the investigation, PC Georgia Loughton, said: “This result is the culmination of a tenacious investigation ensuring that we secured justice for the family of the victim at the centre of this case.
“Work to convict Gwinnett and her evading justice has been ongoing for quite some time. We were relentless in our commitment to bring her back to the UK, where she will now serve her term in prison.
“I would like to thank the NCA and Spanish Police for their work with us on this case.
“Unfortunately, the victim in this case sadly passed away in 2022. Gwinnett’s actions have denied the victim’s family closure – we hope some from of closure comes from this result.”
On Thursday, the convicted fraudster landed at Manchester Airport, before being taken away by Greater Manchester Police in handcuffs.
Sentencing her last year, Judge Michael Maher said: "To you, Joan Green was simply a cash cow to be milked until she was dry.
"And so having inveigled your way into their lives behind the charade that you were a benevolent friend to Joan, you set about playing the long game to isolate and control a vulnerable woman and thereby enrich yourself.
"There was in my judgment a self-assured shamelessness to your fraudulent activity – to use the colloquialism, you have some brass neck Ms Gwinnett."