Jail for Bristol carer who stole £10,000 to clear debts and pay for beauty treatments

A CARE worker who helped herself to £10,000 from a vulnerable 81-year-old woman's pension has been jailed for a year.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court found Hildegard Williams guilty of fraud on Brenda Davidge following a week-long trial in February.

But Williams, 59, of Derrick Road, Kingswood, had her sentence deferred by Recorder Michael Allen QC, who requested probation reports before making a final decision on how she should be punished.

The Recorder Mr M D P Allen QC told her: "You abused the confidence and trust of Mrs Davidge. You occupied a position of trust and you abused that trust. The fraud involved multiple transactions.

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"You could not resist temptation. You had the keys to the sweet shop and could not resist."

The court heard Williams cashed Brenda Davidge's weekly pension cheque at Kingswood post office between January 2008 and September 2010.

The jury heard she siphoned off money to pay off credit card and store card debts as well as fund beauty treatment and pay her utility bills between April 2009 and May 2010.

Concerns were raised within Bristol City Council when officers noticed considerable arrears from Mrs Davidge for her community meals service and home care, running into thousands of pounds.

Council worker Doreen Parker met Mrs Davidge and Williams to ask what was happening. Following a meeting where Williams was also present, the council assessor decided to make an order that £100 a week would be paid off to the arrears after hearing how Mrs Davidge was happy that her "friend" Williams was paying the bills for her.

But the court heard Mrs Davidge's arrears continued to rise, to £10,000, triggering a further meeting where social services were called in to deal with the matters.

An investigation was eventually mounted to "follow the money" and Williams was found to have deposited cash amounts into her own bank account, many of which were made on pension day.

In court Williams admitted that she accompanied 81-year-old Brenda Davidge to Kingswood post office to cash her giro cheque on some 18 occasions but she adamantly denied she consistently took cash for herself.

She was found guilty by a unanimous verdict.