A carer who fleeced a pensioner out of thousands of pounds has been ordered to sell her car to pay back what she stole. Alison Hunter, 47, took the money out of the 95-year-old's account whilst working at a care home.
Derby Crown Court heard at a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing that the 47-year-old only has the vehicle to her name. Derbyshire Live reports that the car has an estimated value of £1,600 at the most.
As that is her only asset, the Hunter must now put it on the market and has three months to find a buyer or she could face further punishment. Judge Shaun Smith KC found that the "benefit figure" - how much Hunter made from her illegal activity - was £8,840.
The prosecution say her car is worth £1,600 but the defence estimates it to be £600. The fraudster was sentenced at a hearing in October 2022.
The same court was told how heartless Hunter used the victim's bank account to spend online without his knowledge. She then told the police he had full knowledge of what she was spending his money on when she was arrested.
For her crimes, she was handed a nine-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months. At that hearing, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: "What you did was despicable, there's no doubt about that.
"You have had a dreadful life as a young person and that led you to become a gambling addict and against the background of that addiction you committed the offence you have now pleaded guilty to. That's not an excuse but it's an explanation to your offending."
Leanne Summers, prosecuting, said the victim was living at Normanton Lodge Care Home in Derbyshire. She said between July 2019 and November 2020, the defendant took almost £9,000 of his savings.
The prosecutor said the police became involved in January 2021 when his Power of Attorney contacted them to say that large sums of money were missing from his bank account. Miss Summers said: "She worked there as his carer and provided care for him.
"He gave her his permission to use his bank card, which he kept in a safe at the home, to get his shopping. But he later mistrusted her because she became reluctant to let him have the card back.
"He went to take the card from the safe where it was kept but it was not there. He told the police he did not give her permission to use the bank card for anything other than to buy his shopping. He said he stopped receiving bank statements and so did not know what was taken."
Hunter pleaded guilty to fraud and has no previous convictions. Raglan Ashton, mitigating, said his client had worked in the care system from 2009 until she entered her guilty plea and she was dismissed.
He said: "Her addiction is to online gambling."
Mr Ashton said she is now using a support system to help control her addiction. As part of the suspended sentence, Judge Smith ordered Hunter to attend 15 rehabilitation days with the probation service.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
