Daughter confronts carer jailed for stealing jewellery from mother

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 12:58 · Archive

A live-in carer has been jailed for four years after stealing £100,000 worth of jewellery from his paralysed employer.

David White, 35, a live-in carer from London, was jailed for four years at Bolton Crown Court after admitting theft by employee. He stole 62 pieces of jewellery worth £100,000, including an engagement ring and heirlooms passed down through generations, from Elaine Macgregor, 82.

Macgregor suffered from corticobasal degeneration, a rare disease that damages brain cells and severely affects movement and speech. The condition left her quadriplegic and entirely dependent on carers, which White exploited to steal from her while being treated as part of the family.

Macgregor's daughter Tracy Mellor, 62, who moved to Sydney, Australia in 2008, travelled 10,000 miles to confront White at court. At sentencing, she told him: 'I can stand here, look you in the face and tell you what your betrayal did to my mum. And Mum, I kept my promise.' Mellor described her mother as fiercely independent, with a love of biking and dinner parties. Macgregor, a former headteacher at Tyldesley Central School in Leigh, Greater Manchester, died in December 2025 before the case was resolved.

How it is being reported

• Daughter travels 10,000 miles to confront carer who stole £100,000 in jewellery from paralysed elderly mumA daughter made a final promise to her mother and travelled from Australia to the UK to confront the man who stole 62 pieces of jewellery from the OAP while caring for herThe Mirror · 20 Oct, 12:37
• I drove 10,000 miles to confront carer who did the unthinkable to my mumA woman shared how she was able to fulfil the pledge she made to her mother who was robbed of thousands of pounds of jewellery.Daily Express · 20 Oct, 09:47

In this story: David White · Tracy Mellor · Elaine Macgregor · Bolton Crown Court · Leigh · London · Sydney

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem