Mum saved from jail 'because of her kids' after stealing from dementia patient
A carer who stole thousands of pounds from a "vulnerable" dementia patient cried in court after she was allowed to walk free.
Nicola Gubb, 47, took advantage of 84-year-old Leah Jones, who she looked after at The Maples care home in Kirkby, Merseyside, taking her bank card and even registering herself as next-of-kin. Between April and May 2022 she withdrew £3,150 from Ms Jones' bank account, which she used to pay back a £5,000 loan she had taken from a loan shark.
She could be seen crying, clutching her chest and swooned repeatedly in a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, reports the Echo.
Judge David Knifton at Liverpool Crown Court that concerns over her two daughters being separated had 'saved' her from going to prison (MEN Media)Mum-of-two Gubb, who was handed a 12-month suspended jail sentence, was told by Judge David Knifton that concerns over her two daughters being separated had "in effect" saved her from going to prison. Prosecutor Ben Berkson said Gubb had been a "team leader" at The Maples care home and had been well thought of by her colleagues until her secret was discovered in May 2022, when carers who went to retrieve Ms Jones' bank card from her room following a hospital admission.
He said: "Carers went to her room but found a key to the locked cabinet was not there. The defendant had gone to visit Mr Jones at hospital, having told her employers she was off sick, and that further raised concerns about the relationship. Carers then discovered that Gubb was Mrs Jones' registered next of kin. Carers are not allowed to have power of attorney or be next of kin and that was made clear by the care home."
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On May 24, a care home manager contacted Mrs Jones' bank to try to release some money, but this was refused as the account had exceeded its limit. An inspection of her bank statements showed a number of cash withdrawals from various cash machines which could not have been made by Mrs Jones.
In a police interview, Gubb admitted taking the cash in small amounts to "avoid suspicion" - but insisted Mrs Jones had given her consent. She later pleaded guilty to 20 counts of fraud. Paul Becker, defending, said Gubb's offending was "mean and persistent", but urged the judge not to jail the single mum, as this would result in her children being put into care and potentially separated. He said: "There are unsatisfactory arrangements about what will happen if the defendant loses her liberty today. It's not her children's fault she has committed these offences."
Sentencing Gubb to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, Judge Knifton said: "You undoubtedly abused your position of trust as a carer. Your conduct continued over a sustained period and you undoubtedly took advantage of a vulnerable victim." The judge added: "I hope when you go home you express your sincere thanks to your two daughters. They have in effect saved you from being jailed today."
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