Care firm worker jailed for fraud

A care company employee in Somerset who stole from an elderly woman she befriended has been sent to prison for six months.

Suzanne Mary Walsh, 51, of Redlake Drive, Taunton, who worked for Care 4 You, began visiting the 79-year-old victim after her partner died in 2007.

Walsh did her shopping and was given a debit card and PIN.

Walsh also drew up a list of people she wanted to be included in Phyllis Hitchcock's will.

A joint investigation was carried out by Avon and Somerset Police and the Care Quality Commission [previously the Commission for Social Care Inspection] during 2008.

In all it was found that Walsh had obtained £1,300 from Mrs Hitchcock's bank account over a course of 15 days.

On 19 April 2008 Walsh was arrested and her home was searched.

Included in the list of potential beneficiaries to the will, which was not changed, would have been Walsh's close friends and family with the remainder of the estate to be divided between Walsh and her daughter.

As a result, Walsh was charged with 12 offences of fraud by false representation in July.

After a five-day hearing at Taunton Crown Court, she was found guilty on 6 March of five of the offences.

She was acquitted by direction of the judge of two offences and found not guilty by the jury of another five.

Recorder Adam Vatalingam said: "The theft was a gross breach of trust. It cast aspersions on everyone who works as a carer of frail or vulnerable people."

Walsh will serve at least three months of the six-month sentence and pay back £1,800 to her victim.

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