Jailed after breaking into former councillor’s home
COURT REPORTER
A former carer snared by CCTV breaking into the house of an 88-year-old woman has been jailed for 12 months.
Caroline Kelly sneaked into former Liberal Democrat councillor Gretel Ross’ Rutherglen flat at 5.30am in September 2018.
A hidden CCTV camera had been installed by the pensioner’s family – after her purse had gone missing.
The device alerted concerned relatives if anything suspicious occurred in the property.
Kelly was captured using keys to enter the house of Mrs Ross and tiptoeing around before leaving.
The incident resulted in Mrs Ross suffering another stroke later that day.
Kelly – who used to look after the pensioner – later claimed that she found the keys in her garage after a clear out.
The 61-year-old was found guilty by a jury last month at Glasgow Sheriff Court to breaking into the house with an intent to steal.
Sheriff Paul Crozier said protection of the elderly was “paramount” and the consequences for Mrs Ross were “catastrophic”.
He added: “Jurors rejected your evidence that you went there to check on her health after little or no contact with her.
“At no point did you check on her welfare.
“If it wasn’t for the foresight of (family) your illegal activities may not have been discovered.
“She has not continued with her independent lifestyle and is in a care home.”
The court heard that Mrs Ross had suffered an earlier stroke in 2008 and required care three times a day.
She had lived alone for 30 years since her husband died, but had continued to work until she was 75.
One of her carers was Kelly, who still visited “sporadically” even after she stopped helping in 2011.
The OAP’s daughter Ursula, 53, told prosecutor Lucy Adams how she received an alert at 5.30am on the morning of the crime and watched a woman enter her mother’s home.
She said: “When I looked again, I thought that isn’t my mum and I woke my partner who phoned the police.”
The daughter identified Kelly as the person inside her mother’s home when the footage was played in court.
Ross Yuill, defending, told the court that Kelly lost her job following the conviction and added: “She is financially stable which makes this more unusual.”