Sting operation reveals care worker’s theft

A CARE worker has been found guilty of stealing £20 from a vulnerable elderly client. Elaine Sindall was found with a £20 note belonging to Nora Gilbert after a sting operation. The numbers from bank notes given to the 80-year-old when she collected her

A CARE worker has been found guilty of stealing £20 from a vulnerable elderly client.

Elaine Sindall was found with a £20 note belonging to Nora Gilbert after a "sting" operation.

The numbers from bank notes given to the 80-year-old when she collected her pension were recorded at Littleport Post Office - and a £20 from that transaction was found on Sindall later the same day.

Mrs Gilbert's son and daughter became suspicious that money was being stolen from their mother back in February, prosecutor Olivia Gooding told Ely magistrates.

The police became involved, and the Post Office logged the numbers of bank notes collected by the pensioner on April 20.

Sindall was later stopped by police and found to have several loose bank notes in her uniform pocket, including £20 from Mrs Gilbert's pension.

In the witness box, Sindall said she had collected £120 from the Post Office with Mrs Gilbert on April 20 and they did some shopping. When they returned to Sindall's car, Mrs Gilbert said she wanted to buy stamps and flowers. Sindall claimed that the pensioner gave her the £20 note, so the items could be bought from Tesco later in the day.

Ordering Sindall to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work and pay £200 costs, presiding magistrate Bryant Watson said: "It is not credible that while outside the Co-op, the defendant did not return inside to buy stamps and flowers."

The police were instructed to return the £20 note to Mrs Gilbert.