Mablethorpe carer who stole £8,000 from two elderly patients faces crown court for sentencing

Magistrates in Boston were told that Tessa Sikes, 29, who admitted two allegations of fraud by false representation, worked as a carer for Libertas Care and, between January 2019 and January 2020, she took the bank cards of two of her patients and used them to withdraw cash from their accounts to pay off her own debts and to purchase clothing.

Marie Stace, prosecuting, said one was an 83 year old man with dementia who she cheated out of £7,829 and the other a 77 year old bedridden woman who lost £387 and that both were patients visited regularly by Sikes.

She said there were 15 transactions showing on the first victim’s bank statement and four on the second victim’s account that were fraudulent and Sikes had also opened up an Amazon account in the second victim’s name.

She said Sikes owned a car with an estimated value of £5,000 with no finance agreement attached.

The magistrates had adjourned the case for sentence in August and had ordered a report from the Probation Service.

Mitigating, David Eager said the magistrates had no power to confiscate the car, only the Crown Court could do that, but they could order compensation and Ms Sikes was ‘eager’ to pay that.

He said that at the time of the offences she had herself been in an abusive relationship and her own money was being taken from her.

He said she had now obtained part time employment, but she had no previous convictions and asked that any prison sentence should be suspended as she was able to pay compensation.

After considering the Probation Service report, the magistrates said the offences were too serious for them to sentence and sent her on unconditional bail to Lincoln Crown Court for sentence on a date to be arranged.