'Trusted' care home manager stole £18k from elderly victim

THE manageress of a home for the mentally ill stole £18,000 from an elderly man in her care.
Amanda Bennett, 46, was working at Ash Lodge Care Home in Beverley Road, city centre, when she targeted victim Peter Barton after £34,000 had been paid into his bank account.
She withdrew money from his account totalling £18,000 - using his credit card and the pin number she had been entrusted with - which she used to pay off her debts.
Bennett was caught when a member of her own family reported her behaviour to the co-owner of Ash Lodge Tony Proudfoot, who discovered large amounts of money had been withdrawn from Mr Barton's account.
At Hull Crown Court, Prosecutor Jharna Jobes said: "He had trusted her with his pin number and she was taking large sums of money out of his account at cash machines.
"She breached a high degree of trust."
Bennett, of Welwyn Park Avenue, west Hull, had been working at the care home for 15 years and was responsible for the day-to-day running of the home and helping residents make cash withdrawals from their accounts.
The mother-of-three was immediately suspended when the theft was uncovered last year and the police were called.
Bennett, who has a previous conviction for drink-driving in 2007, admitted she had stolen the money by using Mr Barton's credit card and pleaded guilty to theft.
Her barrister Bernard Gateshill said: "There is no evidence in this case of high living or extravagance. She has had poorly paid employment, debts and she has not had the financial support of a husband.
"She spent the money on debts and finds it impossible to say where the money has gone.
"In this maelstrom of exceptional circumstances, she has stolen a very significant sum of money from a person who was in her care. "
He said she could not pay the victim back because she was now living on benefits.
Judge Brian Cox sentenced her to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years.
He said: "There's no doubt in my mind that, but for the personal mitigation I have read you would go to prison for a significant period."
A former colleague, who did not wish to be named, told the Mail: "We believe she has done it to more victims.
"She would always be wearing designer clothing and having manicures.
"The people at the home are young and old with mental health problems. Their money is for their day-to-day care and to buy them treats. Everyone is disgusted by what she has done."
Source http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/