A BURY woman claimed “justice has not been done” after a man who stole money from her dementia-suffering mother received only a police caution.

Mrs Christine Turner is to press Bury North MP David Nuttall to take up the case with senior officers to try to determine why the offender was not prosecuted in court.

Her action comes after 41-year-old Paul Archer was given a caution last month for the theft of £1,690 from Mrs Turner’s mother, Sheila Bullen, who died at the age of 81 in November.

He was a neighbour of Mrs Bullen who lived in Parkinson Street, Bury.

Mrs Turner said she was told by police that the reason why a caution was issued was because her mother had died, and that even if she had been alive, she would have been unable to give evidence in court due to her dementia.

But Mrs Turner, aged 51, of Chesham Road, Bury, is unhappy with the decision.

She said: “I feel a caution is wrong. How can he admit what he has done and then get with it? There’s been no apology to me, nor has any money been paid back.

"This has left me with a lot of stress and upset and I feel that justice hasn’t been done.

"The police officer who told me about the caution said she too was disappointed but said this action was taken because my mum had died and even if she hadn’t, she would have been unable to give evidence at court because of her dementia.

"I’m not happy with the caution and I don’t want this matter swept under the carpet.”

Mrs Turner continued: “I’m contacting Mr Nuttall to see what he can do and if he can put any pressure on the police to give me an answer as to why this man wasn’t taken to court.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman confirmed that Archer had been given a caution for theft which had happened between July 22 and October 30 last year and that the sum involved was £1,690.

Archer is since believed to have left the Bury area.