Lancaster Carer jailed after stealing nearly £10,000 from 91-year-old woman
Danielle Houghton was stealing money from her patient's wife for nearly 3 months
Last updated 3rd Sep 2025
A career from Lancaster has been jailed after stealing nearly £10,000 from the 91-year-old wife of a bed-bound man.
32-year-old Danielle Houghton stole a bank card, where she then spent nearly £10,000 in less than 3 months. She also attempted to obtain an additional £800.
The 91-year-old victim suffered with dementia, whilst her husband, whom Houghton was supposed to be caring for, was bed-bound at the care home.
Houghton stole the bank card in November 2023 and didn't stop spending until the victims parents noticed the bank transactions. Police began their investigations from there.
£7,700 of the money was drawn out in cash, with remaining money spent on tanning shops, gambling sites, Netflix and Amazon subscriptions, and other general shopping.
Danielle Houghton has now been jailed.
During the investigation, the victim and her husband passed away.
DC Peter Bennett of Lancaster Criminal Investigation Department said “Houghton’s selfish actions against a vulnerable lady are despicable. I welcome the prison sentence handed down to her which not only punishes her actions, but sends out a clear message to others who might be tempted to offended in a similar manner. Their mother died not knowing that the person responsible for taking half her life savings had faced justice, and their father also died during the course of the investigation, which increases the suffering of the family.”