CARE WORKER IN COURT FOR STEALING €1,700 FROM PENSIONER
A care worker who stole €1,7 10 from a 72-year-old wheelchair bound woman she was looking after was fined €300 at Sligo District Court.
Sarah Scanlon (29) of 2 Station Road, Tubbercurry admitted three sample charges out of 40 theft offences committed between December 2016 and March 2017.
The court was told Scanlon worked for Homecare Independent Living, a private firm at the time and was a carer for the woman.
She was trusted with the woman’s ATM card and made the withdrawals in various sums.
Inspector Paul Kilcoyne told the court that Scanlon paid back €638 during that period and that all of the money had now been returned to the injured party who had severe arthritis and other ailments and who had a leg amputated in 2014 and was subsequently wheelchair bound and reliant on the company.
Mr Gerard McGovern, solicitor (defending) said the defendant, a single parent, had co-operated with the investigation since the outset and was very remorseful and ashamed.
She had also written a letter of apology to the victim with whom she had a very good relationship. The woman had also forgiven the defendant.
Mr McGovern said the defendant has had her own difficulties in her past and he didn’t wish to go into this in open court but he said that she did suffer a very severe trauma herself.
“It was life changing what happened to her,” pleaded Mr McGovern saying he didn’t think anyone would be in their right mind for life if it happened to them.
“However, she does know that what she did was wrong. She saw it as borrowing money over time with a view to repaying it. She did enjoy taking care and looking after this woman,” said Mr McGovern.
Judge Kevin Kilrane said the offence was extremely serious as the victim was vulnerable and was dependant on the defendant completely to do chores and work for which she was employed to do.
The Judge noted that apart from any sanction the court would impose the defendant would also be subjected to public criticism and perhaps odium when details of the case were published in the press.
In mitigation, she had pleaded guilty, was a single mother of a ten-year-old child and had been strapped for money. She had also suffered her own injustice in the past, said Judge Kilrane. Mr McGovern confirmed that the defendant had lost her job while he also agreed she had lost her standing in the community.
“She will not get back to that position again and will suffer for the rest of her life,” he said.
Judge Kilrane said he would have to record a conviction as the matters were too serious and he fined the defendant €100 on each of the three charges relating to the theft of €20 on December 17 th 2016, €80 on the same date and €20 on February 23rd 2017.
“The fines do not remotely reflect the seriousness of the offences but the orders meet the justice of the situation,” said Judge Kilrane.