A callous carer took advantage of a vulnerable 83-year-old man by taking his bank card and helping herself to hundreds of pounds from his bank.
Janice Murphy has since been de-registered as a carer after she admitted helping herself to £200 from William Allan when she was supposed to be looking after him. Murphy, 45, was ordered to carry out 40 hours unpaid work in the community when she admitted the offence at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Fiscal depute Carrie-Anne McKenzie said: "The complainer was one of the residents and he needed help washing and so on. He got a care visit four times a day. He kept his bank card with the pin number attached. It was within the bedroom in full view of his carers."
A family member helped set up online banking for the pensioner, but they quickly realised that money had gone missing from his account which they could not explain. Cash amounting to £200 had been withdrawn from a bank machine and when CCTV footage was studied it showed Murphy helping herself to the money.
Solicitor Amy Fox, defending, said: "She can't explain why she committed this offence. She is at a loss and doesn't know why she did it.
"She is very ashamed of what she has done. She has worked in the care sector for 20 years and has now been de-registered from the social services council.
"Her work in this area is at an end and she now has a job cleaning. It was a breach of trust but she has never been in court before and was previously of good character."
Murphy, from Dundee, admitted stealing Mr Allan's bank card from sheltered housing in Bonnethill Gardens in Dundee on 18 May last year. She also admitted stealing £200 from a cash machine at the Spar in the Hilltown.
Sheriff Robert More said: "I completely accept you feel very ashamed and that being prosecuted has been a very chastening experience for you. People can do things that are quite deliberate and planned to an extent, but that represent a mistake in the context of their life as a whole.
"Your life has been a valuable one as far as the community is concerned, but this is a breach of trust. You took advantage of someone who was vulnerable."
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