‘Hurtful’ carer, 19, stole thousands in cash from elderly couple

‘Hurtful’ carer, 19, stole thousands in cash from elderly couple

A ‘hurtful’ carer stole thousands of pounds in cash from an elderly couple.

The victims had saved the money for a 70th wedding anniversary holiday, the Liverpool Echo reports. But Olivia Hannah, 19, rooted through their bedroom drawers and snatched £2,000 in cash.

Hannah snatched the money after waiting for the 91-year-old man to leave the house for an appointment, while his wife, who was heard of hearing, remained in the house unaware. The victim had saved up £6,000 in cash for a family cruise.

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Hannah admitted stealing £2,000 of it – which has been accounted for. But the other £4,000 remains missing.

At Warrington Magistrates’ Court yesterday (August 6), prosecutor Jessica Pridding said Hannah had attended the couple’s home on September 2, 2023, as an employee of Warrington-based Premier Care. The victim had put aside £6,000 in a bedroom drawer before leaving with her son.

But when I returned, I discovered the money was missing. Ms Pridding said: “He returned within the hour and went to check on his wife. He looked in the bedroom where she was sat in a chair turned away from the drawers.

“The complainant noticed his bed had been made, which didn’t usually happen. This prompted him to check the drawers, at which point he has seen £6,000 had been taken.”

The complainant’s are contacted Premier Care, and a manager visited Hannah, who had been called to two other addresses. The court heard she was ‘reluctant’ to talk – until she was told the police had been called, at which point she produced a bundle of £2,000, stolen from the house.

Olivia Hannah leaving Warrington Combined Court -Credit:No credit

She was dismissed from her job and allowed to return home. Several days later, police searched her property but did not find the missing £4,000. No suspicious deposits were made into Hannah’s bank accounts.

The court agreed £4,000 remained missing – but Hannah maintained she had only taken the £2,000 which she had returned. This was disputed by the crown, but her claims were accepted at a hearing after magistrates decided the amount stolen would not make a ‘material difference’ to her sentence.

In a statement, the victim said the £6,000 had been for a family cruise celebrating he and his wife’s platinum wedding anniversary. He said: “It is very a hurtful thing when you befriend someone and treat them like a family member and they betray you and lie to your face.

“It’s unforgiveable. This has completely ruined my trust in most people.”

David Robb, defending, said: “The person in front of you is a young lady who made a foolish absolutely catastrophic mistake in her life. She went to work that day, she was stressed out because of the recent knowledge of becoming pregnant. She was wondering how she was going to make ends meet.

“When she saw, sticking out of the drawer, a wedge of money, she took that money. It was one bundle, it had an elastic band around it, and it seems to be the bundle that she has given back.”

I have maintained that Hannah, who has no previous convictions, had only taken £2,000. He said she had ‘no opportunity’ to give the missing £4,000 to anyone, she had not hidden it, nor placed it in her bank account.

He added: “She vows not to repeat the mistake she made on September 2. Obviously a catastrophic one as far as she is concerned, and she’s ashamed of herself for taking the amount that she did.” He also said she had a baby, which was ‘a factor to take into account’.

Sentencing Hannah – who pleaded guilty to theft – magistrate Robin Bradshaw said: “You have admitted the theft of £2,000 from a victim who you were a carer for. It was a significant breach of trust because it was in their own home.

“We have heard the large impact on the victim and his family. It clearly crosses the custody threshold.

“Our consideration is if we impose an immediate custodial sentence, or suspend it. We will suspend it, so you will not go to prison today.

“But it is a serious offense and the consequences are serious as well. You have no previous convictions and it’s a shame you have lost your good character.”

He sentenced Hannah, of Margaret Court, Widnes, to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and 20 rehabilitation days. He added that her ‘hands were tied’ regarding the amount of compensation he could award to the victims, as the court had accepted Hannah’s plea, and ordered her to pay £1,000 for the psychological harm caused.

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