A West Berkshire carer preyed on a vulnerable woman and plundered thousands from her bank account.
Velda Little, 66, of The Park, Lambourn, admitted four charges of fraud by misrepresentation at an earlier hearing at Reading Magistrates' Court.
She was back at the same court for sentencing on Thursday, 11th February 2021.
Megan Tapley, prosecuting, outlined the circumstances of the offences, which took place on various dates in March 2019. The elderly victim, Sylvia Sturgess, passed away before the case got to court.
"The victim in this case was aged 85, disabled and particularly vulnerable," began Ms Tapley.
"She relied on friends for day-to-day activities and carers came in three times a day."
Little, who had previously acted as a carer to Mrs Sturgess, had a key for her property.
She knew that Mrs Sturgess kept her bank cards in a purse in the living room.
One day a relative of Mrs Sturgess, Elizabeth Brosnan, who had power of attorney, was helping her with her bank account when they discovered numerous, unauthorised cash withdrawals.
"It amounted to £5,600 in total", continued Ms Tapley.
"For the purposes of this case, we're attributing a loss of £2,000 to the defendant.
"There were various withdrawals from an ATM machine."
Ms Tapley highlighted that Little had deliberately targeted Mrs Sturgess, because of her vulnerabilities. In the Crown's view, it was a case of high culpability.
A victim impact statement given by Mrs Sturgess before her death was read to the court.
"It's left me feeling upset; I could easily cry," she said.
Little showed no emotion as Mrs Sturgess' statement was read out.
Belinda Knight, mitigating, told the court that her client had her own health problems, which had left her unable to work for the past 40 years.
Ms Knight suggested that one of the reasons her client, who had no previous convictions, had been "propelled into the criminal justice system" at her time of life was to help one of her children who was facing eviction.
"It doesn't justify what happened, but it's background," continued Ms Knight.
"I'm grateful to my friend (the prosecutor) for claiming only £2,000 in compensation."
Ms Knight concluded: "She lives in the small community of Lambourn - and it is a community where she has lived for the past 47 years.
"There's a public shaming element she has yet to face.
"Fortunately no-one has brought the subject up with her."
She added: "I'm guessing there's no reporter in court?"
When informed that actually there was a reporter in court, Ms Knight replied: "In light of that, I'm not going to say anything further."
Magistrates were of the opinion that Little's offences were serious enough to justify a community order.
Little was handed a 12-month community order with a 6-month curfew requirement. She must also undertake work with the probation service for an undisclosed number of days.
She was ordered to pay £2,000 in compensation, £85 towards prosecution costs and £85 victim surcharge (the rate in force at the time of the first offence).
The court always views cases like this, where there is an abuse of trust and particularly vulnerable victim, very seriously. There will be some reading this who will be of the opinion that Little has gotten off lightly with the sentence imposed.
Lambourn is a small, tight-knit community. As alluded to in court, Little's crimes will undoubtedly feature as the subject of village tittle-tattle. The prying eyes and wagging tongues are likely to be a source of discomfort and embarrassment for years to come.
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