Care home worker jailed for stealing resident’s cash

Writes Roger Bushby

A 55-year-old care home assistant manager has been jailed for three years after stealing £106,000 from a 93-year-old resident, forging her will and cheating two work colleagues out of more than £50,000.

Elaine Hopkins worked at Ling Dale Lodge Residential Home, East Goscote, Leicestershire, and was entrusted as a signatory for the elderly woman’s bank account. Leicester Crown Court heard how Hopkins cleared out all of the resident’s savings, together with the sale from her home.

She also tricked a colleague into handing over £46,000 from the sale of her house and persuading another colleague to loan her £5,000.

Hopkins admitted the £106,000 theft, together with the thefts from colleagues and forging of the will. Her partner, Steven Currie, 47, was jailed for 12 months after admitting the theft of £46,000 from Hopkins’ work colleague and acquiring £10,000 of criminal property, belonging to the elderly resident.

The court heard that Hopkins had previous convictions for deception in 1981. Passing sentence last week, Recorder Christopher Tickle told the court that references said that Hopkins was trustworthy and had a heart of gold, but “it was more like a heart for gold. It is difficult to think of a greater breach of trust.”