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18
Mar 2022
Harrogate care worker steals £30,000 from victim to fund gambling addiction
A Harrogate care worker stole over £30,000 from a woman with schizophrenia and learning disabilities after developing a major gambling habit.
Linda Thornton, 32, worked for Caretech in Harrogate. She transferred money from the victim’s bank account to her own during a nine-month fraud campaign in which she “drained” the woman’s finances to the tune of £33,525, York Crown Court heard.
All the while, Thornton was using the money to fund her online gambling, spending over £100,000 in nine months and losing £22,000.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Muir said the victim had trusted Thornton “above all other (care workers)” and the two women formed a close bond.
One of Thornton’s roles was to look after the financial interests of the named victim, who lived in supported accommodation provided by the care group.
Ms Muir said the victim, who was 46 at the time, had moved into supported accommodation in late 2018, shortly after receiving a benefits back payment of £28,095.
Asked to borrow money
Suspicions arose when another woman receiving care told her support worker that Thornton, formerly of The Crescent, Guiseley, but currently of no fixed address, had asked to borrow money from her. Ms Muir said:
The matter was reported to managers at the care group and an investigation began. Meanwhile, Thornton, from Leeds, had taken out a £4,000 loan in the name of another staff member, while also rifling through the victim’s account. Ms Muir said:
The distraught victim went to Thornton for help, not realising it was she who was stealing the money.
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The investigation revealed that between April 2019 and the end of January 2020, Thornton transferred £33,525 from the victim's bank account to her own.
Ms Muir added that Thornton had paid back just under £15,000 to the victim between May and December 2019.
'I trusted her'
Following her arrest, Thornton made a full admission to police and said she had “lost track of how much money she had taken”.
She pleaded guilty to fraud and appeared for sentence today following delays to the court case.
In a statement read out in court, the victim said she was very upset and “disappointed” that the woman she trusted had defrauded her:
She said she was worried she wouldn’t be able to pay her bills and no longer trusted people.
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Adam Birkby, mitigating, said although she had “abused a position of trust”, Thornton was “overwhelmed” by debt at the time and had a serious gambling problem.
Thornton “foolishly” imagined she could repay the money to the victim through online gambling, but she “quickly became addicted”.
He said Thornton was “deeply ashamed” of her actions. She had lost her job and her home following her arrest, the relationship with her boyfriend had collapsed and she still had debts.
However, she had since beaten her gambling addiction and had found new work as a manager of a local business.
Suspended sentence
Judge Simon Hickey told Thornton she had “drained” the bank account of a “very vulnerable lady…who trusted you”.
He said it was clear that Thornton had become “trapped” in an “insidious and pernicious” online gambling addiction, was genuinely remorseful and had until the fraud been of “impeccable” character.
Mr Hickey said that because of the delay in the court case and strong personal mitigation he could suspend the inevitable jail sentence. The 22-month prison sentence was suspended for 18 months.
Thornton was ordered to repay the victim the full £18,593 still outstanding and participate in a 35-day rehabilitation programme.
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