Elfrida Rathbone care worker jailed

A MANAGER at a care home stole more than £20,000 off two vulnerable residents, a court heard. Jackie Anderson, 46, formerly of Avondale Road, Bromley, was jailed for 15 months last Wednesday after admitting theft while working at the Elfrida Rathbone Society home in Sydenham Road, Croydon.

Judge Glenn Brasse told her she had breached the significant degree of trust put in her.

Prosecuting Subhankar Banerjee said the victims, both men, could not care for themselves, could not read or write and were extremely vulnerable.

Anderson, now of Whitehorse Lane, Thornton Heath, had sole responsibility for their bank accounts and had authority to withdraw money from them.

The cash should then go into the residents’ tins, but Anderson was pocketing it and over a period of 15 months, she had accumulated a total of £20,157.

There was concern that the men seemed to be short of money and director Anthony Preston started an inquiry.

The married mother of three was arrested and, at first, she denied stealing any money and claimed it could have been taken by other members of the staff.

Later, however, she admitted what she had been doing.

She said in an interview that she owed her ex-partner £30,000 and she stole in order to be able to pay him back.

Judge Glenn Brasse told her: “A very significant degree of trust was placed on you in relation to these very vulnerable people. You breached that trust over a period of 15 months. It was plainly a premeditated and planned course of conduct.”