30 January 2009
Mother-of-two Gail Blakeborough wept as a court heard how she had stolen cheques and used the PIN numbers of two men residing at Amethyst House in Rossington to get at their savings before she was caught.
The 43-year-old was saved from going to jail after a judge at Doncaster Crown Court heard she was depressed at the time and has promised to pay back all the money by selling her car and using a legacy.
Sadly the £6,915 she took from Clifford James, aged 81, will go to his estate because he has died since the police investigation was launched.
Another £988 was lost by 87-year-old Jack Shaw after Blakeborough accompanied him to the post office in Rossington and memorised his PIN before taking his bank card from his room afterwards.
The sentence was criticised as too lenient by her former employers, Southern Cross Healthcare, who own the Rossington care home and dismissed her when the crimes came to light.
A spokesman said: "We note the sentence of the court with some disappointment.
"The financial abuse of vulnerable elderly people cannot be tolerated. We took immediate action against this individual who no longer works for the home."
Carl Fitch, prosecuting, said Mr James trusted Blakeborough, who had undergone a criminal records check before starting work at Amethyst House, with his PIN when he wanted her to buy things for him.
But when he received his bank statement last summer he found his card had been used to make purchases at Next, H Samuel, Miss Selfridge, ToysRUs, petrol stations and other places he would not have visited because he could not leave the home due to ill health.
She also paid some of the cheques meant to pay his care fees into her own account, said Mr Fitch.
In October Blakeborough broke down in front of the manager and admitted what she had done, saying: "It's a terrible thing to do."
Mr James' bank card was found when her home on Holmes Carr Crescent, Rossington, was searched.
Blakeborough pleaded guilty to four offences of dishonestly making false representations to make gains for herself.
Richard Haigh, defending, said she had been at Amethyst House for nine years and enjoyed her job but last year suffered the devastating blow of her father's death in difficult circumstances and then her partner leaving her with two young children to look after.
"She was seeing her doctor for treatment before she started offending. She was feeling very alone, very depressed, and when suddenly she had access to a lot of money she took it.
"She accepts how despicable these offences are. She comes to court today staring down the barrel of custody and she understands that."
But the judge Recorder James Goss, QC, suspended a 26-weeks prison sentence for a year and placed her under supervision, with an order to pay £6,000 compensation now and £1,904 in six months.
He told Blakeborough: "I am satisfied you are now deeply ashamed of what you did and that you were not in your right mind at the time.
"In your favour I take into account that you volunteered your guilt, you co-operated with the police, no suspicion was thrown on to anyone else, you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, you have shown genuine remorse and you are in a position to repay those from whom you stole.
"It has been a very close call in your case. There are some who might say you richly deserve immediate imprisonment."
SOURCE: The Star - Sheffield,England,UK
2 comments:
she should have gone to prison
Im gails eldest daughter lisa. you cannot judge the situation without knowing the full story. my mother was in a terrible state of mind and was even self harming. i accept what she has done was wrong but everybody makes mistakes and she has paid for hers greatly
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