Carer who stole £7k from couple with learning difficulties must repay just £500

A CARER who stole £7,000 from an elderly couple with learning difficulties will only have to pay back £500.

Lesley Carter, 27, stole money from the bank accounts of Richard and Pamela Atkinson, both 69, to spend on luxury items from KC, Sky Digital and Amazon.

She was trusted to care for them and do their shopping.

But for more than four months, she used their bank cards to make 64 withdrawals while she worked for Allied Health Care.

Prosecutor Stephen Welch said: "Both the victims had learning difficulties and, as a consequence, they were looked after at their home.

"Carter's role was to be trusted to do the shopping for the couple and they left their bank cards with their PIN numbers set out on the sideboard in the living room."

He said social services officers discovered about £7,000 had been stolen from the couple's account after other workers raised concerns.

Mr Welch said Carter had a "high degree of trust" placed in her.

"They were both elderly and in need of a high degree of care and she was responsible for carrying out that care but she defrauded them of this money," he said.

Carter told police she had not stolen the money as the couple had given her permission to spend their money on herself.

However, Carter, of The Village Shoppe, Sutton, eventually pleaded guilty to theft at Hull Crown Court.

Her solicitor, Ian Phillip, said Carter committed the theft after a man "put pressure on her".

"She misled the police for fear of repercussions from that person putting pressure on her," he said.

"She has lost everything, she is now jobless and has lost her good character. Those who know about this offence have turned their backs on her."

Recorder Abdul Iqbal ordered Carter to pay £500 compensation to the victims.

He told her: "You took money from them on 64 occasions when you were entrusted with their welfare.

"You spent it on purchases for O2, KC, Sky Digital and Amazon. These were not day-to-day purchases but were for luxury items you decided to pay for through theft, rather than your own endeavours."

He said the elderly couple had "profound learning difficulties" and Carter was given access to their private documents because she had been entrusted to carry out financial transactions on their behalf.

"Your victims were not well off and the loss has caused them considerable hardship and that is not surprising," he said.

"You will live through the consequences of your theft for many years to come."

Carter has been given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and has been ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid in the community.

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