A FORMER carer has pleaded guilty to stealing from an 80-year-old dementia sufferer.
Caroline Bastable, 42, of Wheatacre Road, Sheffield was caught stealing items from a woman in Barnsley including cash, jewellery and perfume on CCTV which had been installed by the victim’s son after he became suspicious.
In addition to this, she was also seen failing to give the elderly woman her medication.
The incidents began in November 2017, when items such as food and milk began to disappear from the victim’s home.
A family friend then noticed cash, which had been hidden around the house, was missing. A large quantity of cigarettes, hidden at the back of a cupboard, had also been taken which led to the victim’s son installing the CCTV around his mother’s property.
Throughout December that year, footage from the cameras evidenced Bastable stealing from the then 80-year-old on more than one occasion. She helped herself to food from the kitchen cupboards and was often seen rifling through drawers, jewellery boxes and the victim’s purses hunting for cash and other valuables.
On one occasion, she stole a gold bangle as the pensioner slept in the same room. Later that same evening, she helped herself to toiletries and perfume from gift sets. Some of these items were recovered by police during a search of Bastable’s home following her arrest in December 2017.
When questioned by police about why she was regularly seen to not give the housebound victim her medication, she stated she ‘must have forgotten’.
Detective Constable Sam Carr who led the investigation said: “This has been a lengthy inquiry and I would like to thank the victim’s family for their support and assistance over the past two years.
“The victim’s son and daughter-in-law relied upon and trusted Bastable to take care of their mum at her most vulnerable. To abuse this trust, and her position, is disgusting and I am pleased that Bastable is now facing a substantial prison term.”
Bastable pleaded guilty to three counts of wilful neglect and two counts of theft at Doncaster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. She will appear at Sheffield Crown Court on January 9 for sentencing.
