Care worker preyed on elderly

SAMERA KHATOON

A JUNKIE care worker who stole from elderly residents at a South Derbyshire nursing home to feed her habit has been jailed.

Leanne Winter abused her position as a relief care worker at Grangewood Lodge Nursing and Residential Home, in Lullington Road, Netherseal, to steal jewellery from five elderly people to feed her heroin addiction, Derby Crown Court heard.

Winter stole property from the pensioners aged between 77 and 94, some of whom suffered from dementia, while others had physical disabilities.

The 19-year-old stole goods including necklaces, bracelets and rings and pawned them at The Money Shop, in High Street, Swadlincote, where she was a regular.

The jewellery was valued to be worth around £2,400 but was pawned for just £910.

Winter was caught out after staff at the pawnbrokers noticed the value of the goods she was bringing in to exchange for cash was far higher than what she had previously taken in.

After a conversation with a member of staff at the store, in which Winter revealed she worked at the nursing home, the store's suspicions were raised and police was called in to investigate.

Jonathan Wood, prosecuting, said: "The defendant was arrested on March 24 and in her interview said she had walked out of the job following a dispute with the employer. She accepted she had pawned items but denied they had been stolen." Winter had admitted five counts of theft at an earlier hearing.

Justin Ablott, defending, said Winter had been a heroin addict since the age of 14 and it was this addiction which led to her to commit the crimes.

Mr Ablott said: "The guilty pleas that were offered without reflection in the case management hearing are the best and most tangible expression of remorse this defendant can show."

Winter, of Woodville Road, Swadlincote, was handed eight months for each offence, to run concurrently, and will serve at least half of her sentence before being allowed out on licence.

Sentencing Winter, Judge John Gosling said: "It's a terrible breach of trust. You hadn't been working there very long before you started taking these items, and you carried on. That's disrespectful behaviour. You took advantage of very vulnerable people.

"The value was not particularly high but you stole goods which were, and you know would have been, of high sentimental value to the victims and their families.

"You have resorted to dishonest behaviour not very long ago, but to say you have acted out of character is not true you have a dishonest streak in your personality." Judge Gosling also congratulated the member of staff at The Money Shop for alerting the authorities to Winter's behaviour.