A despicable carer has been jailed for stealing money from an 80-year-old woman she was supposed to be looking after.
Ismhan Tabe committed the appalling breach of trust for the sake of £40, sneaking into the woman's bedroom while she was in the bathroom. The 67-year-old was snared because the victim's family had installed CCTV in her home to check on her welfare.
Newcastle Crown Court heard her son, who lives in Hampshire, stayed with her for four nights after she had spend time in hospital and arranged for a carer to attend to help his mum as he had to go home.
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The carer was Tabe and arrangements were made for her to visit the victim's home in Gateshead once a day to deal with her day-to-day medical needs. She was told this was to be done in the living room and that she was not allowed to enter the woman's bedroom.
But when the victim's son viewed the motion-activated live feed from the camera, he saw Tabe enter the bedroom for less than a minute while his mum was in the bathroom, during whiech time she stole £40 from her purse.
When Tabe was arrested, she denied entering the bedroom or stealing the money but her account was "demonstrably not true" on viewing the CCTV.
In a victim impact statement, the pensioner's son said: "I've noticed my mum doesn't know who to trust now. In the past she trusted everyone - she trusted the carer and other carers who visited her to help her. Luckily she does have a regular carer who's good."
He added that he'd had more contact with the polce than the care company or Gateshead Council about what happened. He said: "Care providers and councils should take more responsibility to make sure they have regular contact with clients or families to make sure there are no concerns with the staff. My mother has since had a male carer attend with no ID."
The pensioner's daughter added that she has noticed a change in her mum since the offence, saying: "She was a chatty lady. The defendant has broken her spirit.
"She is frail and withdrawn and it's unbelievable how much the incident has affected her. Trying to find the words to describe the turmoil is impossible.
"She is absolutely devastated and deeply affected by the incident. She feels betrayed.
"She went to hospital recently and asked for do not resuscitate, saying more than a few times she wishes she was gone now, which is uncharacteristic of her.
"There was a bond of trust between the defendant and my mother, who is now anxious about people entering her home."
Tabe, 67, of William Street, Chopwell, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for 18 months. Mr Recorder Khan told her: "You took advantage of a vulnerable person.
"This was such a gross breach of trust, as a carer being allowed in someone's home and stealing from them, I'm afraid in my judgement appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody."
Mark Styles, defending, said: "It's a very sorry state all round. This lady is 67. She was in tears and confessed.
"Her sister was killed in a road accident on the A19 a few weeks ago travelling back from Middesbrough."
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