A trusted carer at a Wirral nursing home drained £2,500 from the account of a vulnerable young resident.
Sharon Mansell, a senior health care assistant at New Haven Nursing Home in Wallasey, made weekly visits to local cash machine with a bank card belonging to victim Lee Chaplain, 25.
The 53-year-old, of Greencroft, Wallasey , was spared jail at Liverpool Crown Court today.
Mansell pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and was ordered to complete 200 hours unpaid work.
The court heard that, in a desperate attempt to cover her tracks, she lied to her manager claiming the money had been returned and that the victim did not want the police involved.
Liverpool Crown Court
Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, said Mr Chaplain suffers from learning difficulties and requires 24-hour supervision, due to an inability to understand risk.
A victim impact statement from Mr Chaplain said: “I feel upset and disappointed by Sharon Mansell. I am shocked because she was so nice to me and stole my money.
“I do not want her to care for anyone again in case there’s a risk of someone else being targeted.”
He claimed he still trusted the care home staff and that they had helped him get the money refunded from the bank.
Mr Chaplain moved to the home in August 2014 after concerns he had been the target of an earlier attempt to steal money.
Ms Smith said: “On September 18 this year the complainant noticed withdrawals on his bank statement for £100 and £200.
“He became suspicious because he knew he himself had not withdrawn that money and had not authorised anyone else to.”
The court heard staff were notified and “everyone fell under suspicion”.
Mansell was on annual leave when the offences first came to light but claimed to her manager that she had spoked to Mr Chaplain and the money had been returned.
However she later confessed and said that she did not want other staff members to fall under suspicion.
"You exploited his vulnerability and your position of trust"
Ms Smith said: “His bank card had been left on a shelf with the PIN number accessible to all staff. He had been advised to keep it in his room but said this was not possible because he wanted it to be available in an emergency.”
Gerald Pachter, defending, said his client had been under financial difficulty and was “deeply remorseful” for the offence.
He said: “This was a one-off offence, over a period of time, and completely out of character.”
He told the court Mansell had no previous convictions.
Judge Rachel Smith, sentencing, said: “Over the course of three months you exploited his vulnerability and your position of trust to steal the money.”
Mansell was handed a 10 month jail term, suspended for 18 months.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/