A church’s Meal Club chef – who delivered dinners to a lone 88 year-old woman – was jailed for twenty-one months today (Monday) for looting her entire savings.
John Neesam, 62, of Kirkdale, Sydenham was treated as a member of the family by the trusting victim as he drained her bank account of £4,500 in just six months.
Neesam, employed by Grove Centre Church, Jews Walk, Sydenham denied, but was convicted by a Croydon Crown Court jury of theft from Doreen Lovell, who passed away eight days after the trial.
“This was systematic theft over a period of six months,” said Judge Timothy Stow QC. “She must have been very distressed to discover the money had gone.
“At the end of the day this offence is so serious only an immediate custodial sentence is justified. This was a very mean type of offence.”
Widow Mrs Lovell trusted Neesam to write cheques on her behalf to pay for the meals, but on seventeen occasions between July, 2009 and January, last year he wrote increasingly large amounts to himself.
“It was an awful lot of money for her. It was her savings and she did not get a penny back,” added Judge Stow. “She was extremely distressed to suddenly find her savings had been stolen.
“She regarded you and your wife as very good friends and trusted you completely,” the Judge told Neesam. “You were like a family to the victim.
“She regarded you as family and trusted you completely and it must have been an appalling shock to realise you had let her down.”
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