A 66-year-old Shropshire woman has admitted swindling an 89-year-old woman in a care home out of a five-figure sum of money, a court was told.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday, Edna Starkey, of Queensway, Whitchurch, admitted nine charges of theft between June 17, 2002 and July 23, 2004.

The court heard she used a cheque book to steal from Gladys Kynaston, of Weston House care home in Green End, Whitchurch.

Starkey also admitted 13 charges of dishonestly using a bank card to withdraw money from cash machines between April 20, 2002 and December 23, 2004.

Police investigations revealed about £50,000 had been siphoned from Mrs Kynaston’s account and a large slice of that money went to Starkey, who admitted specimen charges totalling £20,700.

The case was adjourned for sentence. Judge Nicholas Mitchell warned Starkey: “You have to understand that whatever the content of any reports, you should prepare yourself for a custodial sentence.”

Mrs Janet Pitt-Lewis, prosecuting, said sometimes hundreds of pounds in cash was being withdrawn daily from Starkey’s account.

Mr Daniel White, for Starkey, said his client claimed her husband David Starkey, who died in August 2005, had forged the signatures on cheques.

“Money was haemorrhaging out of both Mrs Kynaston’s account and Mrs Starkey’s. We are not sure what has happened to the money,” he said.

Starkey was ordered to give a statement of her means and assets to the court within 21 days and return for sentencing in about six weeks time.