Parkinson’s disease sufferer mum slams ‘evil’ daughter who fleeced her of £30k to fund lavish shopping spree
Her 77-year-old mum has blasted her daughter's soft sentence after she walked free from court
A MUM suffering from a debilitating illness has slammed her "evil" daughter after she stole £30,000 - to fund a lavish shopping spree.
Cruel Louise Shorthouse has avoided jail after fleecing the cash from her 77-year-old mum Marlene Shorthouse, who has Parkinson's disease.
The 43-year-old splashed £17,000 on booze and online purchases - including shopping at Amazon - after stealing "at least £30,000" between January 2013 and May 2016.
Truro Crown Court heard Marlene had deposited around £60,000 into a savings account as well as some cash in a current account.
But when she moved into sheltered housing in St Ives, Cornwall, the money vanished.
Shorthouse was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to stealing the money.
Her mum slammed her daughter to police, saying she was abusive and bullying when drunk.
She told the officers: "I've lived with her a long time.
"If she's been drinking, she's the most horrible person you could meet.
"When she's drunk, she's evil. I've allowed myself to be bullied by her."
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She has now blasted the soft sentence given to her daughter, which included an order to carry out a 20-day rehabilitation requirement.
The family said in a statement: "We are disappointed with the court's decision and would have hoped that some type of community service or repayment of such a large amount of money stolen would have been put in place.
"We are dismayed she has received a suspended prison sentence and at the lack of compensation or community based court order."
The court heard Shorthouse, of St Ives, Cornwall, acknowledged she had a long term alcohol problem but was also capable of periods of abstinence.
They accepted she was allowed to take money on occasions, but said at least £30,000 of the total amount had been stolen without her mum's knowledge.
Prosecutor Philip Lee said: "Nearly three years later, by April 2016, Mrs Shorthouse was in hospital suffering from an infection.
"Her other daughter was horrified to see there was very little left in these bank accounts. In three years, these accounts had been more or less emptied."
Sentencing, Judge Simon Carr said: "This is your last chance. There will be no more.
"You need to walk out that door and never drink again."
He added: "For any woman in her 70s in poor health, the one person she should be able to trust is her daughter.
"She has lost her entire financial independence and will have to rely of state support.
"She will go through the rest of her life unable to buy the little treats that she would have wanted."
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