ALZHEIMER’S SUFFERER SWINDLED OUT OF £17K

Carer used OAP’S bank card to steal cash

It was a breach of trust over a significant period of time JUDGE STEPHEN FOWLER DUNGANNON YESTERDAY

A MUM took advantage of an elderly woman with Alzheimers to steal £17,450 from her bank account, a court heard yesterday.

Dungannon Crown Court heard Margaret Iris Telford, 54, was a carer for Dorcas Mcmordie who regularly gave her cash gifts over and above her pay. The pensioner was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2013 and asked Telford to use her card to make withdrawals from an ATM because she didn’t know how to use one. But Judge Stephen Fowler told the court Telford went to the ATM when Ms Mcmordie was away or late at night to take out sums of cash. The crime was uncovered when a suspicious bank manager noticed a series of withdrawals from the elderly woman’s account over a 17-month period. He spoke to Ms Mcmordie who confirmed she had not made any withdrawals as she did not know how to operate the debit card. The manager then contacted the PSNI who interviewed Telford of Kildares Court, Ardglass, Co Down. She admitted 17 counts of fraud by false representation between May 2013 and October 2014. Judge Fowler gave the defendant, who the court heard had significant “psychiatric and psychological” issues, a ninemonth jail term suspended for three years “with some hesitation”. He said an aggravating feature of the case was the “breach of trust that happened over a significant period of time”. It was also, he added, a “significant amount of money”. The court was told the defendant had expressed considerable shame, embarrassment and remorse. Defence said she had been subject to significant trauma in her early life and was under considerable stress in the run-up to the court hearing. Telford, who is on benefits, had gathered £2,500 as restitution and a compensation order was made for that amount.