A carer who stole £7,000 from a vulnerable woman and blew it on a holiday to Mexico has avoided jail for the second time.
Ruth Fort took the bank card of a disabled victim with numerous health problems and "significant" mental health difficulties.
The mum-of-one even used it abroad when she splashed "extortionate" amounts of cash during the family holiday to North America.
READ MORE: Dad and son accused of £4.7m fraud
Fort, 46, of Harrowby Road, Birkenhead, admitted fraud and was handed 16 months in jail, suspended for 18 months, in February.
As part of the sentence she was told to carry out a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) for 30 days.
But a court today heard the mum has since skipped probation appointments and tested positive for "cocaine and opiates".
Fort appeared in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court without legal representation, but said she was content to proceed.
She admitted breaching her suspended sentence by missing a meeting with the Probation Service over the phone on May 20 and an RAR appointment in person on May 24.
Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, said there had also been "difficulties" with Fort's engagement with Wirral Ways to Recovery and concerning "substance misuse and shall I say her being open and honest with regards to the extent of it affecting Ms Fort's personal life".
She said Fort had previously missed other appointments but these absences had been accepted.
However, Ms Smith said since May she had attended four sessions in June and July and been in full contact with her probation officer.
She said: "There has been one missed appointment with Wirral Ways and one positive test. That positive test has led to the recommendation that a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement [DRR] would be suitable if the court allows that order to be continued and marks the breach with a DRR."
The court heard that when Fort was sentenced in February a DRR wasn't proposed because she said drug use wasn't a problem for her.
However, Judge Gary Woodhall said: "There clearly is an ongoing drug problem."
Judge Woodhall offered Fort the opportunity to explain herself and said when you breach a suspended prison sentence "the default position is you've had your chance, you now go to prison".
He said: "The probation report though that has been placed before me is not suggesting that is appropriate at this stage, but you're at risk of that, because you failed to attend these two appointments after there were a couple of acceptable absences prior to that."
Fort said: "Not to my defence, but the position I was in, housing situation, mental situation at the time, vulnerable situation, I've now actually with probation, my probation officer, who has been fantastic I must admit..."
She cried in the dock before continuing: "She is looking for new accommodation, somewhere else in a different area, and sticking to this DRR, would be the best thing that could happen for me and my daughter."
Judge Woodhall said: "You have come very close today to going through that door, do you understand?"
Fort said she understood this and what would likely happened if she breached the order for a second time.
Judge Woodhall told Fort the Probation Service said she was now engaging and believed a DRR would help in her rehabilitation and to "steer you away from any offending".
He imposed a six-month DRR and said she must come to court monthly, starting on August 20, so a judge could be updated on her progress.
Preston Crown Court heard earlier this year how Fort preyed on a woman when working at Crystal Hall care home in Witton, Blackburn.
She was only caught after her husband Anthony found out and decided to inform police, a decision described as "commendable" by a judge.
He became concerned after they'd gone on the holiday in November 2018, when he saw her splashing "extortionate" amounts of money.
In December that year, Fort was taken to hospital and an aunt also expressed worries after seeing her withdraw large amounts from an ATM.
On December 14, 2018, Mr Fort was disturbed by his wife, who was sitting up in bed and talking in her sleep, before he spotted her handbag strewn on the floor, with £20 notes spilled out of her purse.
He found the victim's bank card and challenged his wife about it, leading to her confessing to him.
Mr Fort reported the matter to the police and an investigation was launched, which found she had withdrawn £6,979 over a period of two months.
Fort left their home and detectives couldn't find her until she was eventually tracked down with the help of the Department for Work and Pensions.
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When interviewed in 2019, Fort, of previous good character, admitted taking the money and she later pleaded guilty to the fraud.
Speaking in February, her lawyer, David Polglase, said she "fell into temptation" and accepted her crimes were a "great breach of trust".
The judge, Recorder Sarah Johnston, commended Fort's husband.
Mr Polglase said Fort, who had shown "remorse and insight" into her offending, suffered with epilepsy-related seizures and spinal problems, which might require surgery, and that jailing her would have a harmful impact on her 14-year-old daughter.
Recorder Johnston described Fort as "greedy" and spoke of the "revulsion the public feels for individuals in positions of authority and responsibility who take advantage of vulnerable members of our community for financial gain".
She said: "The temptation here turned into greed and you should be thoroughly ashamed of your behaviour."
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