Dementia carer faces scam charge
By Renee Redmond
September 16th, 2008
A PARADISE Point woman took a holiday in Rome after allegedly scamming a dementia patient out of her half-a-million-dollar home, Southport Magistrates Court was told yesterday.
Francesca Jean Marzella, 53, was arrested at Brisbane Airport after arriving home from Italy with her two sons on Saturday.
It is alleged Ms Marzella had befriended an 89-year-old dementia patient at the Gold Coast Homestead Nursing Centre at Coomera in May this year and had taken her on 12 day trips.
The trips included a visit to the Commonwealth Bank at Runaway Bay where the elderly woman, Marguereite Stewart, cancelled her great nephew's power of attorney.
Police allege Ms Marzella then took Mrs Stewart to a Justice of the Peace, where ownership of her house at Hope Island, valued at $500,000, was transferred to Ms Marzella.
Ms Marzella allegedly used the Property Act's 'natural love and affection' provision to take ownership of the house before she sold it to a young couple.
At 5pm yesterday, Ms Marzella was still in custody waiting for her bail to be posted. The matter was adjourned for mention on September 26.
Abridged
SOURCE: Gold Coast News
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