A shameless care home boss who stole thousands of pounds meant for elderly residents was unmasked as a thief by junior staff after they had to use their own paltry pay packets to buy toiletries and clothing for victims. Greedy manager Joanne Whalen, 51, is feared to have pocketed up to £25,000 over a three year period at the expense of frail and confused older people - many of whom had dementia, Alzheimers and Parkinsons Disease.
The mother of three was only found out after a care assistant on the minimum wage confided in a director at the Firs Hall Care Home in Failsworth near Oldham. Along with fellow junior colleagues, she said she had been using their own money to buy bath products, clothing and cigarettes for the residents as they noticed they were going without.
It emerged one man paid £21,966 pounds in cash to Whalen, of Droylsden Road, Manchester, over the course of a year in the mistaken belief it was for his elderly father's care fees. He then received legal letters wrongly warning him he was in arrears and that bailiffs had been summoned to reclaim goods from his home.
He was only able to prove he had paid as he had kept receipts from the money he handed over. At Minshull Street Crown Court, Whalen of Newton Heath, Manchester was branded 'despicable' by a judge who jailed her for 18 months after she admitted theft and fraud by abuse of position.
The court heard the thefts began in 2017 after Whalen racked up £45,000 worth of debt through mortgage arrears, council tax bills, credit cards and purchases from catalogues. Andrew McIntosh prosecuting said: ''One man, Brian Rourke, who was suffering Parkinsons and dementia was admitted to Firs Hall for care and a price for fees was agreed with his son Damon and money was paid to the defendant in cash on request.
"Around £200 was paid by Damon each week with some used to pay for haircuts for his father and he was given signed receipts.' But in 2019 Damon received a letter from a debt collector demanding payment for money said to be owned to the care home.
"He contacted the defendant who said it was administrative error and told him to ignore the letter but shortly afterwards he got a court letter demanding payment of the debt. He contacted her again, she said she knew about it and that she would sort it out.
''But Mr Rourke contacted a solicitor and provided receipts which were then sent to the defendant's employers. She was asked about the receipts but she then said had never met Damon Rourke and that the receipts were fabricated."
Mr McIntosh added: ''Residents of the home would have their own spending money which was used to buy toiletries, cigarettes and clothing. The money was delivered to the care home manager where it was locked in a cabinet and the manager was expected to keep basic financial records as to what the money was being spent on.
''During the Covid crisis money was paid directly into the manager's account to avoid unnecessary visits and the company paid £2,800 into the defendant's bank account for two residents with money for other residents being paid in cash. She confirmed the money had been allocated to the residents but in April 2021 one of the directors went to the home to carry out an unannounced check and during that visit she spoke to the defendant who told her she did not have the keys to the safe.
''The directors said she would wait whilst the defendant got them from home but Whalen then said she could not get into the house as her son had the keys to the property. As the director was leaving she was approached by a staff member who asked to speak to her in private.
"Later they spoke and the staff member said she was worried about the residents as it appeared they didn't have any money and that she and other care assistants had been buying things out of their own money as they did not want the residents to go without.
''They would buy cigarettes and toiletries for those residents so they would not go without. The residents did not have money and had to rely on the kindness of care home staff who were out of pocket. These staff members were on minimum wage and not exactly flush."
Later Whalen approached the same care assistant and asked her to lend her money so she could put it in the safe to make it look as if money was there for the residents. The carer refused and Whalen mysteriously went missing when the director made a return visit to check the safe.
The safe was forced open and just £90 of the expected £1,680 were found inside. The director tried to phone Whalen but she found her number was blocked and she wrote to her saying she was suspended.
The Care Quality Commission subsequently conducted an inspection of the home. Whalen eventually contacted her employers to admit she had some of the residents money of her account and she transferred £600 into the company account.
When arrested at home she replied; ''I've paid it all back - what I had left I gave back.'' She said later sad she had started to ''borrow'' money earmarked for residents for over a year as she was in debt.
Whalen denied using money for herself and insisted she had only taken a total of £1,680 pounds of which she had paid back £600. But in a statement Sarah Wooliscroft, a director at the care home, said: ''I'm very disappointed that the residents had been financially abused in this way by someone in a position of trust.
''I have seen at first hand the agitation and stress that has been caused to those people when they have come to Firs Hall to be looked after. I only hope the stress has not had a detrimental effect on their existing medical conditions. The staff have been misled and out of the kindness of their hearts have funded the purchase of residents' personal items when they themselves are living to their means.''
Damon Rourke said: ''I thought I was doing the right thing by paying cash as it was requested by the manager of the care home but I did not for one second think it would be stolen and that I would get debt collectors after me when I have already paid. Luckily l I kept receipts as I am not sure how else I could have proved it.''
The court heard no further action had been taken against Mr Rourke and the company had to shoulder the loss. Whalen who was fired from her job had no previous convictions. She will face a Proceeds of Crime hearing later.
In mitigation her lawyer Andrew Marsh said: ''She understands she engaged in dishonest behaviour over a period of time when she was in a position of trust. The seriousness cannot be understated and she does not seek to hide from that."
Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Paul Hodgkinson told Whalen: ''You were supposed to be caring for the most vulnerable in our society and should have been involved in ensuring their safety and wellbeing but you did not nothing of the sort - in fact you did the complete opposite.
''It was despicable behaviour perpetrated by you. You have caused these people undoubted stress as a result of your entirely selfish actions. I should remind you these are elderly people suffering from conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia and Parkinson's disease.
''Your colleagues who attempted to do the best they can to ensure a quality of life for those in their care are undoubtedly paid low wages but despite that because of the fact they cared, they dipped into the own pockets to remedy the shortfall that your selfish actions had caused. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself."
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