Madam,

At Action on Elder Abuse Cymru, we were dismayed by your story about Christopher John Morgan, the painter and decorator from Drefach Felindre who stole at least £2,300 from his 86-year-old neighbour Lyn Davies.

He stole money from him on 17 separate occasions over an 18-month period – and perpetrated against a vulnerable older person who thought he was his friend.

So why was the perpetrator not sentenced to time in prison? A six-month suspended sentence along with unpaid work is utterly insufficient for such a serious offence and breach of trust that resulted in Mr Davies feeling unsafe in his own home.

Justice has not been done and, unfortunately, this is nothing unusual.

Our analysis shows that, despite an estimated 413,500 people aged 65 or over in England and Wales experiencing some form of abuse each year – ranging from neglect and fraud to physical and sexual assaults – in 2015/16 there were just 3,012 successful criminal convictions.

This means it is likely that 99 per cent of those who abuse older people are not being punished.

If this situation is to change, elder abuse must be made an aggravated offence in order to empower our legal system to issue punishments that fit the crime.

Yours etc,

Rachael Nicholson-Wright, Director, Action on Elder Abuse Cymru.

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