A heartless care worker helped herself to thousands of pounds from the bank account of a vulnerable elderly resident at an Inverurie assisted living facility.
Rachael Michie took advantage of her position of trust while working as a relief worker for Inspire at Hollybank, St James’ Place, Inverurie.
As part of her role, the 31-year-old helped to look after a woman in her 60s, who suffered from learning disabilities and needed round-the-clock care.
Staff also assisted the woman financially, accompanying her to the bank, helping her make responsible transactions and keeping track of everything in a log book.
But Michie took advantage of having access to the vulnerable woman’s bank cards and swiped £2,300 before her manager spotted the irregularities and traced it back to her.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the offences were committed between September 15 2021 and February 15 2022.
She said the offences came to light when Michie’s manager noticed a number of the resident’s bank statements were missing and accompanied her to the TSB branch to ask for them.
‘She was simply so desperate’
The bank provided copies but advised they had also been posted out as normal.
On examining the statements, Michie’s manager noted several large withdrawals that seemed out of place.
She checked the log book which all staff are required to update with any spending by the resident, but the transactions were not noted.
The woman then checked the transaction dates against the work rota and noticed a correlation with the days Michie was working.
Ms Martin told the court: “Those that care for her are of the view that the complainer is not capable of making cash withdrawals herself and is always accompanied by a staff member.”
The police were contacted and, following an investigation, Michie was arrested and made full admissions.
None of the money has been paid back.
Michie, of Middle Park, Inverurie, pled guilty to stealing the resident’s bank cards and withdrawing £2,300.
‘You saw an opportunity, made a plan and carried it out’
Defence agent Michael Burnett said: “Ms Michie made full and frank admissions and made no attempt to minimise what she has done.
“She knew eventually they were going to come and speak to her about it.
“She said she would never do it again, she was simply so desperate.”
Mr Burnett explained Michie had been in an abusive relationship at the time and had serious financial issues as a result.
The court heard that, due to her financial issues, there was no prospect Michie would be able to pay the full amount back.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge told Michie: “I accept you are remorseful for what you did.
“Clearly it had an impact on your life in that you lost your employment.
“It seems to me you saw an opportunity, made a plan and carried it out.
“It’s a serious abuse of trust.”
She ordered Michie to be supervised for 12 months, to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay a £500 compensation order to her victim.
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