Carer who plundered dead OAP’s savings is struck off
She hid face from cashpoint camera to withdraw money
A CARE worker has been struck off after demanding an OAP’s bank card and withdrawing money while hiding from the cashpoint camera.
Catriona Dey formed a close relationship with the man, who was in sheltered housing, claiming she was ‘like the daughter he never had’.
But Miss Dey abused her position of trust to allow herself and others access to the pensioner’s home and belongings after he died. An unidentified individual even took a ring from the home which had been worn by the man’s late wife.
Miss Dey, 41, from Hamilton, Lanarkshire, was a student carer at the time, working as a relief housing support officer for North Lanarkshire Council.
Her conduct at the council managed Roadside sheltered housing complex in Cumbernauld resulted in her facing 21 charges before her professional watchdog.
After a three-day hearing in Dundee last month, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) revealed in a report published yesterday that she had been struck off.
Shocking allegations were made at the hearing that after his death from cancer the man – named as 68-year-old David Cummings – was propped up in his coffin wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, with a cigarette put in his mouth, at a ‘party’ to celebrate his life.
Mr Cummings – who had not had contact with two of his daughters for 20 years – is referred to in the SSSC report as ‘Resident A’. The findings published yesterday state: ‘You demanded that Resident A’s carer hand over Resident A’s bank card to you when you were not entitled to do so. You obtained two balance slips from Resident A’s bank account when you were not entitled to do so.
‘You did assist ZZ, a friend of Resident A, in withdrawing money from Resident A’s bank account and on one occasion input Resident A’s PIN to a cash machine.’
The report says that Mr Cummings had two bank accounts, – one of which had a balance of £10,000 – but does not reveal how much was withdrawn or for what purpose.
It adds that Miss Dey ‘stood clear of CCTV when withdrawing money from Resident A’s bank account’.
The panel also found that Miss Dey failed to reduce the risk of financial abuse to Mr Cumming’s estate following his death.
She did not report to her line manager that an individual, referred to as XX, had a key to the dead man’s property, it was said.
Miss Dey was also said to have failed to tell her bosses that she was aware that XX – also a friend of Mr Cumming – was the beneficiary of his will.
She did not inform anyone that a number of individuals had visited Mr Cumming’s house after he died, despite not being entitled to do so. In striking her off, the SSSC stated that Miss Dey’s behaviour ‘was fundamentally incompatible with your continued registration on the register’.
It accused her of ‘a serious abuse of trust which had occurred over a period of time’.
The SSSC concluded: ‘Allied to all of this was an element of dishonesty resulting in loss to the public purse. In the round there was a pattern of behaviour which was either dishonest or deception.’
Miss Dey, who did not attend the SSSC hearing or provide any evidence, also failed to tell her employers that she was convicted in March 2016 at Airdrie Sheriff Court of falsely claiming £8,500 in disability living allowance.
She also failed to tell her line manager that an unnamed individual had taken Mr Cumming’s late wife’s ring.
A North Lanarkshire Council spokesman said: ‘The individual ceased employment with North Lanarkshire Council in April 2014.
‘The council notified the SSSC and police of the matters it had been investigating.’
‘Serious abuse of trust’