'Callous' Isle carer jailed for stealing £16k from elderly blind man

A '˜callous' carer from the Isle of Axholme, who stole more than £16,000 from the 91-year-old man she looked after, has been jailed for 28 months.
Sarah Maguire, 38, has been jailed after admitting to stealing over 16,000 from the elderly blind man she was employed to care for.Sarah Maguire, 38, has been jailed after admitting to stealing over 16,000 from the elderly blind man she was employed to care for.
Sarah Maguire, 38, has been jailed after admitting to stealing over 16,000 from the elderly blind man she was employed to care for.

Grimsby Crown Court heard how Sarah Maguire, aged 38, formerly of Goodnow Road, Crowle, systematically raided the bank account of an elderly Scunthorpe man whose eyesight was failing.

Between January and April 2016, she stole over £16,000 using his PIN number at local ATM machines and through online transfers.

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The theft was discovered when the 91-year-old man’s bank noticed unusual and regular amounts leaving his account, prompting a police investigation.

Maguire was sentenced to 28 months in prison at Grimsby Crown Court. She pleaded guilty after being police confronted her with ‘overwhelming evidence’.

Speaking after the case, Jeremy Evans, Crown Advocate, Crown Prosecution Service Yorkshire and Humberside said: “This defendant initially denied stealing the money, but when confronted by the police with overwhelming evidence, she admitted responsibility and pleaded guilty.

“This woman callously stole a considerable sum from an elderly gentleman with failing eyesight. She was placed in a position of trust and responsibility for his care, and it is hard to imagine a more despicable breach of that trust than this.

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“She took complete advantage of this gentleman’s vulnerability and stole from him systematically.

“The sentence handed down today is an indication of the seriousness with which the criminal justice system takes this type of offending. Those who prey on vulnerable people will be caught, prosecuted, and punished.”

The Court also heard that Maguire had previously been sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court to 18 months in August 2013 for stealing £63,000 from her employer.

Investigating Officer Richard Higgins from the Protecting Vulnerable People Team said of the case: “Sarah Maguire exploited a vulnerable elderly 91-year-old man who has issues with both his sight and hearing. She was visiting him regularly and doing shopping for him, however whilst out she was using his bank card to withdraw a large quantity of money.

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“Her victim thought she cared about his well-being and was truly an abuse of trust and has left him deeply affected. I hope that Maguire is ashamed of her actions and that her sentence will serve as a warning to other fraudsters that they will be identified and brought to justice.”

Maguire was sentenced for her crimes on November 25.