A carer looking after a woman suffering seizures “betrayed” her by stealing £1,600 from her. Rebecca Butler treated her victim as “easy prey”, a judge said.
The 35-year-old, of Mountain View, Hope, Wrexham, was convicted after a trial of committing fraud by abuse of position. A judge gave her a 14-month jail term but suspended it for 18 months.
He ordered Butler to do 180 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,600 compensation. Butler had been a “personal assistant” for Ingrid Jones who has a neurological condition, Mold Crown Court heard. The fraud took place between March and July in 2022. The defendant was found guilty at a trial and exact details of the fraud were not aired in court.
In a statement, Ms Jones she said had a neurological condition leading to seizures. When Butler arrived as a personal assistant Ms Jones felt she was her “saviour”. She was said to be a “naturally trusting person” but after the fraud Ms Jones said she felt “heartbroken and completely betrayed” by Butler. She said: “I could not believe she could be so deceitful. I felt confused and naive for trusting her.”
Christopher Clark, defending, said his client accepted it had been a breach of trust and said she had now lost any chance of being a care worker in future. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
The judge, His Honour Niclas Parry, told Butler she should have known what she did was wrong. He said: “You have done good things in your past as a carer – you did good things for Ingrid.” He said Ms Jones acknowledges this which was why she “feels the betrayal so deeply”. The judge went on: “You had a trial, you blamed everybody – even the the local authority.
“But you had been in this work for 19 years and you did not need any guidance to know that stealing from vulnerable patients was wrong. It was deceitful – taking advantage of a vulnerable client (who was) easy prey and there’s no remorse.”
The judge said the impact on Ms Jones had been significant and her condition had worsened. “During the trial the family that you were deceiving so badly showed no desire for revenge. They were measured, they were fair, but at the end of the day this was a very serious matter,” he said.
“You should consider yourself fortunate that the people you let down are decent, measured, fair people.”
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