A heartless carer is facing jail after fraudulently using a vulnerable 90-year-old woman’s bank card.
Lynsey Johnston had been employed to look after the pensioner but instead abused her position of trust by using her cards to pay off her own debts. A court heard that the 35-year-old’s illegal spending was rumbled in the summer of 2019 when her patient was hospitalised and her family sought to review her care plans.
They were shocked to discover the irregular payments and Northumbria Police were contacted. Johnston, of Waverley Road, in Low Fell, Gateshead, was arrested but denied any wrongdoing, claiming she had an agreement with family to make purchases on the elderly woman’s cards, which she did not.
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She maintained her innocence but a jury saw through her lies and she was found guilty of fraud at Newcastle Crown Court this month. She is due to be sentenced on August 4 at the same court.
Detective Constable Joanne Newton, of Northumbria Police’s Safeguarding team led the investigation, she said: “Protecting the vulnerable is our biggest priority.
“The elderly woman and her family trusted Johnston and she completely abused that position of trust for her own selfish gain and then didn’t even have a slither of integrity left to own up to her own actions – putting the family through lengthy court proceedings.
“It is a truly sicking act to take advantage of someone you’ve been trusted to care for and I want to warn those in our communities that seek to take what is not theirs, that your bad deeds will catch up with you and we will do everything in our power to bring you to court and make you answer for your selfish crimes.”
She added: “The majority of the carers in our region are good, honest people who care about the people they work with and would never dream of committing such selfish acts and I want to thank them for their dedication.
“However, I also want to ask families to continue to be vigilant and to always speak out if they suspect their loved one is being taken advantage of. We’re here for you.”
