A carer used a disabled woman's Amazon account to order sex toys and beauty products for herself.
Lassie Dankeh also used Julie Grieveson’s online account to buy clothes over a period of five months between March 25 and August 10 last year. Between June 6 and July 6, the 24-year-old also transferred money from Ms Grieveson’s bank account to her own using Paypal service, Xoom.
Ms Grieveson, 43, who was diagnosed with degenerative multiple sclerosis in 2005 and is in an electric wheelchair, is “totally reliant on carers for her daily care”, a court heard. Liverpool Crown Court heard that Dankeh began caring for Ms Grieveson in July, 2020, and began regular visits, including throughout lockdown, during which time a friendship developed.
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The pair watched films together, and Dankeh even did Ms Grieveson’s makeup on occasion, and was described as giving “significant assistance” and “companionship” during this time. The fraud was discovered after June Oldham, Ms Grieveson’s mother, noticed that her daughter was unable to pay bills that she could usually afford, and alerted the police to the missing money.
Some of the items bought by Dankeh include clothing, gym leggings, vitamins, serum, nail lamps, lip liner, make up, sex toys, self adhesive floor planks, rugs, and face masks.
In total, £1789.50 was defrauded by Dankeh, who pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation on November 7.
A statement read out in the court on behalf of the victim said Ms Grieveson had a “good relationship” with Dankeh and thought of her as a “trusted friend”. The victim “felt very upset and very betrayed” by Dankeh, and was “hesitant and apprehensive about having to rely on any carers again” because of the incident.
Dankeh, of Price Street in Birkenhead, worked for Allied Health Care at the time of the offence but was suspended in August 2021 and has since been dismissed from her role as a carer for gross misconduct. She was sentenced to 24 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to undertake twenty rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.
She was also told to pay back the defrauded £1789.50 to Ms Grieveson, plus court costs, amounting to £2037.50 in total. A restraining order forbidding Dankeh from contacting June Oldham and Julie Grieveson for five years, was also made.
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