In a tale that could truly evoke some trust issues, a former nursing assistant has been hit with a five year jail sentence for stealing over $100,000 from patients — including when they were unconscious or asleep.
As reported by news.com.au, Steven Tran, 29, worked as an assistant in nursing at a number of Sydney hospitals between 2020 and 2023.
He stood accused of exploiting his position of trust to make hundreds of unauthorised transactions using patients’ bank cards during this time and pled guilty to 20 offences in December 2023.
This week, he was sentenced with five years’ imprisonment and a compensation order of $100,000 to the patient whose card he drained.
He’s also been slapped with a permanent ban from working in any health services.
A shocking tale, to say the least. Source: Sefa Ozel / Getty Images
There’s a list of his offences and it’s wild.
Among other things, Tran was found to have made more than 600 unauthorised transactions while working at Prince of Wales Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital between April 2021 and September 2021. He racked up nearly $112,000 on one patient’s card alone and $508 worth of transactions from another patient’s card.
The kicker? He got the card details off their mobile phones, per NSW Police fact sheets.
Despite being deregistered that year, Tran reportedly continued to find work in hospitals through an agency. Between 2022 and 2023, he used his access to make over $2,000 in more unauthorised payments from the cards of colleagues, patients, and even his landlord.
The publication noted Tran used his patient’s details while on bail between September and November 2023, this time to change his name on the Birth Deaths and Marriages website before using the same bank card to make a payment to a moving service on Airtasker.
Additionally, he had the photographs of four bank cards from people he lived with on his phone and submitted a falsified medical certificate to Burwood Local Court as an excuse to not attend while undergoing court proceedings, per news.com.au.
Among his other offences, Tran is believed to have lifted a gold necklace and $2,100 in cash from a patient undergoing an MRI.
The Health Care Complaints Commission found the breach of trust is “of significant magnitude” upon investigating the incidents.
“All patients were vulnerable, either unconscious or asleep, all trusting in the carers that were looking after them at the time,” the judgement on Saturday read.
“Mr Tran must be made accountable for his actions over a number of years and to the various victims that have suffered as a result of his actions.”
The HCCC also pointed out he was afforded a “high level of trust to provide a safe environment” — making the actions all the more startling.
Lead image: STEEX/ Getty Images
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