Preston women 'groomed' elderly men with dementia for money

Two women who "proactively" sought out and "persistently" befriended isolated elderly men with dementia in a "cruel" scam to obtain money have been banned from going near them, police have said.

Sheena Thomason and Stacey Cummings targeted men who were "susceptible to being groomed", Lancashire Police said.

Releasing their images, the force said it "would take action where we can".

Sgt Dan Wood said because the men handed over cash "willingly", it was hard to prove a crime was committed.

However, he said such incidents were "particularly cruel" because they involved "extremely vulnerable people and amount to grooming and exploitation for money".

"As the cash is often willingly handed over to people by victims who believe the offenders are their friends, it makes it very difficult to prove a crime has happened," he added.

"Sometimes, victims feel embarrassed or ashamed about what has happened and don't want to speak to us about it.

"I want them to know it is not their fault and I would encourage them to please come forward so we can stop this happening to others."

Sheena Thomason, 46, of Tennyson Road, Preston was given a 12-month civil injunction banning her from visiting the men or engaging in threatening behaviour near their homes.

Stacey Cummings, 35, of Preston received a similar two-year civil injunction.

Lancashire Police said a third woman from Preston was issued with a community protection warning over reports that she had also been targeting vulnerable people for money and goods.

The injunctions were the result of a joint investigation by police, Preston City Council and local housing associations.

Preston councillor Robert Boswell said he hoped they sent "a message... to those involved that exploitation will not be tolerated and robust action will be taken".

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk