A dishonest carer used a vulnerable victim’s bank account to spend £8,000 on items for herself including holidays and gifts. Danielle Swaine was initially allowed to put her victim’s details on her Amazon account to buy her incontinence pads in bulk.
But the 35-year-old went on to buy items for herself with spending increasing “dramatically” by thousands of pounds. She admitted committing fraud by abuse of position. A judge at Caernarfon Crown Court said she could be rehabilitated and her a 14-month jail term suspended for 18 months.
Prosecutor Patrick Gartland said Swaine, of Bryn Mynach Road, Barmouth, had been employed by the Seashells care company based in Dolgellau. She cared for a man called Bev Barratt along with a woman called Jean Barratt from April, 2023. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here
Mrs Barratt didn’t like incontinence pads provided by community nurses. So Swaine was initially allowed to put Mrs Barratt’s bank details into Swaine’s Amazon account to buy different incontinence pads in bulk. But neighbours became concerned about how Seashells was caring for Mrs Barratt. The court heard Swaine was interviewed voluntarily at Dolgellau Police Station and repaid the money she had spent on herself.
Police found she had spent £43 on that card in the whole of June, 2022, and £151 in September, 2022. But between October, 2022, and the following April she spent £10,1412.53 of which only £2,100 had been on incontinence pads.
Swaine’s monthly expenditure had risen from £458 in October, 2022, to £2,416.20 in April, 2023 – which was the month Mrs Barratt died. The prosecutor said Swaine could not account for why the spending increased dramatically and knew it looked bad. Swaine also said she was “disgusted with herself”. She said she had “not known she had (also) been purchasing items for herself using the victim’s bank card”, said the prosecutor. These included items for herself, her home, holidays and gifts. Mr Gartland said Swaine had said that spending and shopping was how she coped with hard times.
Elen Owen, defending, said it had not started out as a fraudulent act and she did it to “assuage stress”. Her client had pleaded guilty and been sacked by her employer. She had been a carer for six years and been highly regarded. She repaid £1,600 in May, 2023, “as soon as possible once concerns were raised”. A mental health assessment had been carried out on Swaine and she posed a low risk of re-offending, added Ms Owen.
The judge, His Honour Timothy Petts, said she had spent £8,000 of her victim’s money on herself and caused distress to Mr Barratt before he also died. He said all the money must be repaid or she would go straight to prison. Suspending the sentence, he ordered the defendant to pay £4,910 compensation and wear an electronic tag during a three-month, 7pm to 7am curfew.
She must also attend 25 sessions of rehabilitation activity and go on a mental health treatment programme.
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