Life sentence for carer who stole from a 90 year old woman and then killed her

A carer who stole money from a ninety year old woman and then returned to the house and murdered her has been jailed for life.

Jane Hill, 52, of Norwich Drive, Upton on Merseyside, stole £40 from Myra Thompson on 12 April 2024.

She was one of a team of carers looking after Mrs Thompson, from Spital, who suffered from Parkinsons' disease and short-term memory loss.

Mrs Thompson was a retired physicist from Clatterbridge Hospital and had lived alone at the address since her husband died. Her neighbours also helped with her care.

Mrs Thompson had become concerned that money was going missing from he handbag, which she kept in her bedroom.

With Myra’s permission, her neighbours installed a hidden camera in her bedroom to find out who was taking the money. The camera was turned on remotely when the carers arrived and switched off when they left.

Jane Hill visited the property as part of a care visit on 12 April. When the CCTV footage from the visit was reviewed. Hill was seen taking money from the bag.

The neighbour reported this to the care agency and an investigation was launched. In the meantime, Hill was suspended.

On 22 April 2024, another carer conducted the usual visits to Mrs Thompson’s house and reported her safe and well each time.

The next morning,  the next carer came to conduct a visit and found Mrs Thompson lying cold and unresponsive in her bed. It was clear she was dead.

She called her manager and an ambulance. Blood was found on Mrs Thompson’s pillow and on a metal flask at her bedside.

The police were called in and a murder investigation began. Doorbell footage showed Hill leaving her own home around 8pm on 22 April, in her work uniform.

Data from her phone tracked her to Mrs Thompson’s house. She had also stayed in the area of the house for several hours before driving home.

Hill was arrested on the evening of 23 April. In interview she admitted the theft of the money but denied murder. She said she had gone around to the house to return the money and persuade Mrs Hill not to pursue a complaint against her.

But in a later interview, she admitted that, after letting herself in via the key in the key safe unit at the door, Mrs Thompson began to shout out, to find out who had come in.

Hill told her to stop shouting but then panicked and hit her on the head with the flask and then smothered her with a pillow.

In interview she admitted that she had also gone round to Mrs Thompson’s house a few days before the attack, on 18 April, but had “bottled it”.

Today (11 October 2024) at Liverpool Crown Court, Jane Hill was sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 22 years and 6 months before she can be considered for parole.

Senior District Crown Prosecutor Jonathan Egan of CPS Mersey-Cheshire said: “The events of the night of 22 April are truly dreadful.

“Mrs Thompson deserved care and support from Jane Hill, who was supposed to be looking after her.

“But Hill stole money from her and then went back to her house a week later and killed her. She made no effort to resuscitate Mrs Hill or call the emergency services. She just walked away.

“The Crown Prosecution Service said this was a planned attack on a defenceless woman in her own home which was motivated either by money, revenge or a desire by Hill to remove the witness to her dishonesty, or a mixture of all three.

“The family and friends of Mrs Thompson are left to deal with the consequences of her actions.

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank those neighbours and friends for their help in building this case.”