A WOMAN who stole £380 from care home residents has been jailed for nine months.

Rebecca Crook, 35, and of Coal Clough Lane, Burnley, stole the money from the victims between September 7, 2016 and March 1, 2017.

Crook worked as a secretary at Crawshaw Hall Medical Centre and Nursing Home in Burnley Road, Crawshawbooth, at the time of the offence.

She was based in the office of the director at the dementia unit and was responsible for the management of residents’ money.

Sentencing Crook to nine months in jail, Judge Beverley Lunt said imprisonment was the ‘only option’ for a ‘breach of trust’.

Burnley Crown Court heard how director Mark Karoo first discovered something was amiss on February 28, when he noticed paperwork documenting money spent had been replaced.

Prosecutor Sobia Ahmed said: “With one of the residents, rather than use the personal allowance form, she created her own version showing the monies in and out.

“But there was no signature next to the transactions and a number of the transactions did not tally up.

“In total, six residents’ paperwork had been altered or documents were missing or destroyed.

“Mr Karoo spoke to Crook about this on March 1 but she was unable to explain why the sheets had been replaced and why she had failed to report a paperwork error.

“She was asked in writing to attend a disciplinary hearing but she resigned by letter and the matter was reported to the police.”

Judge Lunt said: “You worked at the home as a secretary to the director and were responsible for the management of residents’ money.“From September 2016 for a short period, you had been taking sums of money from residents, and replacing small sums but not all the money, which is stealing.

“In November, the director trusted you enough to manage the residents’ money and records yourself and no checks were taken.

“After that, you continued to steal sums of money from residents and falsifying audit checks, replacing certain record sheets by hand and computer.

“You even forged the signatures of other staff.

“In total six residents had their accounts tampered with at a cost of £380, but only sums stolen from three residents could be accounted for.”

Crook had pleaded guilty to stealing the money in January this year.

Defending Crook, Neil Howard, said she had been a in a desperate financial situation at the time of the thefts.

He said: “Crook takes full responsibility for her actions and for their impacts on the victims and their families. She is extremely remorseful.

“Although, there is nothing to justify or excuse her action, during the period she took the money, she was in a desperate financial situation and experiencing a low mood.

“She had ended her job in Spring 2016 and had experienced delays receiving benefit payments and had used savings to pay bills, which had left her in a lot of debt.”

Judge Lunt said: “IThe residents and family of the old and vulnerable placed a high degree of trust in you.“That trust was misplaced and breached which is very distressing for them.“Therefore, imprisonment is the only option here, 12 months in jail with 25 per cent credit given to an early guilty plea, taking it down to nine months.”