Care worker stole money for holiday from friends
ACARE assistant took money from her friends to pay for a pals’ trip to Turkey – but spent it on herself.
Terri Rigby appeared before South Sefton Magistrates’ Court last Thursday, where she pleaded guilty to taking £692 from her friends for a holiday for the three of them which she never paid for.
Rigby, of Princes Street, Southport, changed her initial plea to guilty when she stepped before magistrates.
The 36-year-old first booked the holiday on September 1 last year, for her and friends Lea Aimes and Nicola Irvine, from Belfast.
Mr McCall, prosecuting, told the court how, despite pocketing the
money from her pals, Rigby did not use any of the money to pay the travel agents but went on to book a holiday with them for herself.
He said: “The defendant became friends with the two complainants on holiday and they have met up on holiday since then.
“This led to the three of them booking a holiday together for July, 2019. The defendant did book the holiday through Thomas Cook travel agents, but failed to make any payments to Thomas Cook.”
The court heard how Rigby, who works as a care assistant at a hospital, went on to take a number of payments from her friends, with £344 from Ms Aimes and £348 from Ms Irvine.
Mr Ali, who was appointed by the court as defence for Miss Rigby, who came to court unrepresented, said that she had been “going through financial difficulties” at the time she took the money.
He said: “Her friends in December realised the holiday had been cancelled, but she told them it had not been cancelled, when it in fact had.
“She accepts that she did not act in good faith initially to book a holiday in Turkey.”
Mr Ali asked the magistrates to consider during sentencing that Rigby was a single mother of four who works with vulnerable people in the NHS.
Rigby was given a £1,522 fine, which she agreed to pay back in monthly instalments of £100, starting in the next 28 days.
Magistrates warned her that any failure to repay the fine would result in other steps being taken to collect it, including bailiffs.