This is the damning series of CCTV images that snared a thieving carer who had been trusted to look after an elderly dementia sufferer.
Callous Michelle English stole the money from great-grandmother Jean Robson while looking after her at the pensioner’s home.
The 33-year-old was caught after Mrs Robson’s family noticed money had been going missing from her purse – and mounted their own secret investigation.
They installed a video camera and used an ultraviolet (UV) pen to mark the notes.
Yesterday, English was ordered to pay her 83-year-old victim £100 in compensation and was told it should have been thousands, because of her “gross breach of trust”.
Last night, Mrs Robson’s grandson, Chris Murphy, branded the theft “despicable” while dementia charities said it highlighted the “vulnerability” of sufferers.
Mr Murphy, of Tarnash, near Keith, also criticised Aberdeenshire Council for failing in its duty to protect his grandmother – and revealed the family was considering taking legal action.
He claims his mother, Lorna Murphy, and aunt Mellanie Robson raised their concerns with the local authority, but no action was taken.
He said: “My grandmother was unable to care for herself so Aberdeenshire Council organised for some carers to go in a couple of times a day, in particular to give her medication. We noticed that money was going missing on a fairly regular basis.”
Determined to get to the bottom of the missing money – and aware Mrs Robson could have been squirrelling it away and then forgetting about it – the family decided to hide a video camera in her living room.
English admitted stealing a quantity of cash from Mrs Robson’s home in Watson Avenue, Huntly, between March 1 and May 1 this year and was sentenced at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
Mr Murphy, whose family own Douglasbrae Knackery in Keith, said: “”We are considering suing Aberdeenshire Council. They are liable for what she did, and they breached their duty of trust.”
A spokesman for the local authority said: “We do everything possible to make sure carers employed by Aberdeenshire Council are trustworthy and provide excellent care to the people they look after.
“We regret that the trust placed in this particular person was breached. She no longer works for Aberdeenshire Council.”
Comment, Page 32