Pamela Gwinnett was arrested at Manchester after Tenerife flight
Pamela Gwinnett was arrested at Manchester Airport after being extradited from Tenerife, where she fled while on bail. Greater Manchester Police took the 63-year-old into custody as National Crime Agency officers escorted her from Terminal 3. She had already been sentenced in her absence to six years for defrauding pensioner Joan Green of nearly £300,000.
Dubbed the “Black Widow,” Gwinnett arrived on 30 July 2026 after the National Crime Agency and Spanish police secured her extradition and arrest earlier that month. For more odd crime cases, see our Bizarre News & Florida Man coverage.
Key Takeaways
- Pamela Gwinnett was arrested by Greater Manchester Police at Manchester Airport Terminal 3 after extradition from Tenerife.
- She was sentenced in her absence in October 2025 to six years for fraud by abuse of position and theft.
- Gwinnett fleeced 89-year-old Joan Green of nearly £300,000 and fled to Spain in April 2025 while on bail.
- She is due to appear at Preston Crown Court on 31 July 2026.
Who is Pamela Gwinnett and why was she wanted?
Gwinnett, 63, set herself up as carer to retired accountant Joan Green during the Covid pandemic. She persuaded the 89-year-old from Chorley, Lancashire, to grant her lasting power of attorney, then stole nearly £300,000 from the pensioner’s life savings.
Court evidence described Mrs Green being isolated like a “caged animal” after locks and the landline were changed. Gwinnett made false claims against the family and spent the money on Botox and lavish meals. Mrs Green died in 2022 after what prosecutors said were her final years being “milked like a cash cow.”
How did she try to evade justice by fleeing to Spain?
While awaiting trial in April 2025, Gwinnett asked a judge to vary bail so she could travel to Tenerife to scatter her brother’s ashes. The request was refused, but five days later she boarded a plane to the Canary Islands anyway.
She failed to appear at Preston Crown Court in October 2025 and was convicted in her absence of fraud by abuse of position and theft. Judge Michael Maher jailed her for six years and later ordered repayment of £300,000 under proceeds of crime rules. He said she had treated the process, and Joan Green, with “utter contempt,” calling it an affront to justice that she remained in Tenerife.
What happened when Pamela Gwinnett was arrested?
According to Greater Manchester Police and contemporaneous local reporting, she was returned to the UK after Spanish authorities and the NCA completed extradition. Flanked by two armed NCA officers, she left Terminal 3 Arrivals in sunglasses, a leopard-print jacket, capri pants and gold trainers.
A brief smile faded when cameras appeared. She stayed silent when asked if she would apologise to the victim’s family or feared a longer sentence for fleeing. GMP officers read her rights as she kept her back to the press, then took her into custody ahead of the Preston hearing.
PC Georgia Loughton, who led the investigation, said Gwinnett “knowingly defrauded a vulnerable woman out of almost £300,000” and hoped the return would give Joan’s family a sense of justice.