A cruel cleaner was caught stealing cash from a pensioner's family after gaslighting the vulnerable 85-year-old and her family into thinking she had dementia.
Julie Baldwin had known the victim's family for years before she was hired to work for them, and the family trusted her when she initially claimed she had not taken the money.
However, after a CCTV camera was set up in the victim's bedroom, Baldwin was caught in the act on film.
Baldwin, 47, of Grimston Road, Anlaby, stole £200 cash from Barbara Woolston's purse on her bedside table while being hired to clean for her. She was charged with theft by employee for the offence committed on December 12, 2019 at Beverley Magistrates' Court, which she admitted.
Baldwin was hired by the victim's family to care for her after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and could not keep up with day to day housework due to being ill.
Barbara's granddaughter, Sophie, told Hull Live after the court hearing: "My nana had started to tell us that she was losing her money, and on occasions Julie had told me that she thought my nana was losing her memory because she kept misplacing all of her money.
"At this point we thought my nana had the onset of dementia as it was becoming more regular that she was ‘losing’ her money, until we realised that it was a pattern.
"When my family was speculating that they thought it was Julie who was stealing the money I stuck up for her and told them that Julie wouldn’t do this to Nanna, we were too close to Julie for her to do anything like that."
Barbara's family eventually grew suspicious and decided to install a CCTV camera in her bedroom. On December 12, 2019, Barbara told her family she was missing money again after Julie had been around earlier to clean.
They downloaded the CCTV footage that was recorded and when it was played back, were horrified to see Baldwin taking money out of Barbara's purse in her bedroom after rifling through her bag. They have given that footage to Hull Live.
Sophie added: "My nana is very vulnerable, she was 85 when it happened and for someone to use the fact that she's got dementia to say that she doesn't know what she's on about is hurtful and disgusting. I don't know how anybody could steal from an elderly person given the circumstances she was in."
The defendant was given a £595 fine and a 14 week community order as well as 12 rehabilitation days.
