Nasty fraudster Patricia Evans jailed for more than eight years for scamming vulnerable people out of life savings

This fraudster – described by one of her victims as the nastiest person he’d ever met – has been shown no mercy by a judge after stealing millions from vulnerable people.

A con artist who sucked the savings of vulnerable elderly people dry was slammed by a judge after she didn’t have the decency to say where the stolen money went.

Patricia Evans, 73, was jailed for more than eight years for the thefts with one of her victims describing her as the nastiest person he had ever met.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Evans encouraged a woman she knew to refurbish three units she owned in Norwood.

Patricia Evans leaves Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: AAP Image/ Morgan Sette

“You said that you had the expertise to oversee the project and she provided you with money for that work,” Judge Michael Durrant said.

The court heard the woman had to sell the units after little work was done, with Evans telling her she had an insurance policy but needed cash to engage lawyers to pursue it.

Evans then encouraged the woman to approach family and friends for money.

The court heard a retired couple accessed their superannuation and borrowed money, totalling $2m that they gave to Evans, while another victim paid her about $800,000.

The court heard Evans also offered to help a man who owned a motel and restaurant at Hahndorf with his bookkeeping issues, resulting in her stealing $23,000 from him.

Evans, of Para Vista, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of theft.

The court heard Evans stole $4.2m over nine years but could only be punished for stealing $280,000 — for which she is charged.

One victim described Evans as the “most calculating and nastiest person” he had ever encountered, while another had to sell her farm and was socially ostracised because of Evan’s offending.

The court heard Evans said she spent some of the money on travelling expenses and $180,000 went to family members but gave no instructions to where the rest of the money went.

She said she became entangled in a “web of deceit”, which she could not escape.

Judge Durrant said Evans’ expressions of remorse were hollow and she lacked insight into her offending, as she didn’t even have the decency to say where the money went.

Evans, who previously worked as a nurse, told the court through her counsel that she would not apply for parole and instead serve her full sentence – however Judge Durrant said he gave no weight to that.

He sentenced Evans to eight years and four months jail, with a non-parole period of five years.

“You preyed on those who trusted you … when you exhausted those victims you moved on to others,” Judge Durrant said.

“You were relentless and all along you were bankrupt and were receiving social security.”

Due to the fact Evans had no ability to pay back her victims, she was not ordered to pay restitution.

The sentence was backdated to May 22, 2022.

Originally published as Nasty fraudster Patricia Evans jailed for more than eight years for scamming vulnerable people out of life savings