Three Scottish carers have been exposed for stealing money from vulnerable elderly residents in their care. The women abused their positions of trust to take funds from OAPs, with some spending the money on luxury goods and holidays. They were either banned from working in care indefinitely or handed unpaid work.
Zoe Shepherd struck off after stealing £3,000
Zoe Shepherd, 29, from Cupar in Fife, used a vulnerable resident's bank card to steal £3,000 of her life savings between August and October last year. Police were called after the victim noticed a large sum missing from her account. A check of staff rotas at the care home in Newburgh pointed to Shepherd, and CCTV showed the card machines she used.
Shepherd initially admitted taking the money, claiming it was in her car or bank account, but it turned out she had spent every penny. She avoided jail after being convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court in April and was handed 200 hours of unpaid work. Shepherd later sent £2,800 back to the care home to be returned to her victim but was ordered to pay the outstanding £200.
Following sentencing, she was banned from working in the profession indefinitely. Her misconduct was heard at a Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) hearing in September. Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith said: "For all I know that was their life savings. It could be money accumulated over many years of working. She robbed the complainer of that by taking it out of the bank and keeping it for herself. It is a gross breach of trust. You have crossed the custodial threshold."
Gaynor Ewart embezzled £8,000 for designer gear
Gaynor Ewart, 49, from Glasgow, embezzled £8,000 from a vulnerable OAP for designer gear and holidays. She was handed 280 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay back the full amount in compensation at Paisley Sheriff Court on September 17. Ewart stole the bank card from the victim, who is understood to be in her 80s, while employed with Trust Housing Association. The offending took place at the group's supported housing complex in Thornliebank between June 1, 2022 and June 17, 2023.
A source previously told the Record: "Ewart abused her position of trust to swipe this lady's bank card and hard-earned cash, it's absolutely rotten. She would come into work in new designer clothes all the time. She even went on several trips to Florida during this period. We were all wondering how she could financially do it."
Ewart had initially faced charges of stealing nearly £20,000, but the lesser charge of £8,000 was accepted by the prosecutor. She will pay back the compensation in monthly instalments of £250 and be supervised for three years.
Dana-Louise Dillon banned for stealing £5
Dana-Louise Dillon, 34, took a £5 note from an elderly woman's purse at a Glasgow home on April 27, 2023, while working as a support worker at Staffscanner. Details of her misconduct were laid bare at an SSSC hearing last month, which ruled her behaviour "fell far short of the standards expected of [a] registered social service worker" and was "incompatible" with remaining on the register. She was banned from working in care indefinitely.
An SSSC statement read: "Social service workers should be truthful, open, honest and trustworthy. Your actions of going into an individual who uses social services’ purse and taking £5 is dishonest. Social service workers should be reliable and dependable. Your behaviour undermines the trust placed in you as a registered worker by your employer, AA and her family and the SSSC, as your regulator."
