Carer robs dementia patient of £7,000 on selfish shopping spree.

 A nurse who stole thousands of pounds from bedridden dementia patients and used them to buy Amazon Prime videos and pay off bailiffs has avoided prison.

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Former hairdresser Michala Lewer used 'highly vulnerable' Patricia Wheatley's bank card to make online purchases, buy petrol and shop in supermarkets.

After his crimes were revealed, his elderly victim – who has since died – was terrified that Lewer would return and 'kill him', worried that his nephew said 'greatly hastened his decline'.

In court, the judge condemned Lewer for abusing his trust and leaving Wheatley in a 'heartbreaking' condition.However, he narrowly escaped a prison sentence and only had to pay back £2,000 of the £7,000 he stole.

Winchester Crown Court heard Lewer worked for care agency Home Instead based in New Alresford, Hampshire. Peter Pride, prosecuting, said that Lewer had been registered with the institution for some time before he came to work for Ms Wheatley 'who was bedridden and suffering from dementia in the final stages of her life'.

"There was an agreement that during work, the defendant would use his card - the victim's card - for the victim's legitimate needs," he continued.'However, unbeknownst to the victim at the time - the defendant abused that trust by using her debit card several times to make cash withdrawals.'

Prosecutors said Lewer made cash withdrawals of £250 several times over a two-month period from March 15 2021 to May 8 2021. And, the court heard that in addition to the withdrawals, Lewer used the card to make purchases such as petrol, Prime Video, Amazon, Co-op - and once even used a dementia sufferer's card to pay bailiffs.

Diane Jeary, Ms Wheatley's niece, discovered the money was missing and alerted the agency. Lewer was immediately invited for an interview.

“He said he was sick and gave various excuses like that,” Pride said.

'[Lewer] emailed them to say he had "borrowed money", which he knew was unacceptable.'

Ms Jeary told the court that after her aunt discovered her money had been stolen, she feared Lewer 'would break into her bungalow and kill her'.

“Her niece tried to reassure her about it but she didn't think she felt safe anymore,” Pride said. Ms Jeary described her aunt as 'extremely vulnerable' and said: 'I believe that the shock and mental stress caused by the theft greatly accelerated her decline.

Anna Leathem, defending, said Lewer 'regrets he took the money'.

'He fully accepted that the victim would never have agreed to give him the money,' he added.

'He fully accepts that there are vulnerable victims hearing this.'

Ms Leathem said Lewer took the job during a 'time of unrest' - the Covid pandemic.

“The reason Ms Lewer took this position as a nurse was because of Covid because she couldn't continue her career as a hairdresser,” he said.

The court heard the mother-of-two had universal credit – but 'wanted to pay back what she stole'.

Judge Adam Feest KC said: 'In 2021, over two months you stole almost seven thousand pounds from Patricia Wheatley - someone you cared about.'You will know more than most people how vulnerable he was at that time.

'Your [role] with him was to look after him - you abused that position by taking his money.

'His family described him as being very distressed by your actions.'

The judge said it was devastating to hear how Ms Wheatley lived in fear at the end of her life. He gave him an 18-month prison sentence and said he was 'only' prepared to suspend the sentence for the same period.

'When I say fair, I actually mean fair,' he added. Lewer was ordered to pay back £1,980 in compensation to Ms Wheatley's estate. He was also ordered to carry out rehabilitation activities for 30 days.

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