A WOMAN stole from a man she was helping to care for after he trusted her with his debit card and PIN.

Debra Elizabeth Rathbone, 34, was asked to go shopping by the 60-year-old man, who because of health problems could not walk.

He gave her his debit card and PIN so she could buy him groceries but she kept the card and withdrew cash on a number of occasions.

Rathbone, of Ivy Court, Connah’s Quay, admitted stealing £189 from Christopher Meagher, of Church Hill, Connah’s Quay, between April 7 and April 10.

She was placed under a 12-month community order with supervision and sent on a drug rehabilitation course. She was ordered to pay compensation in full.

Prosecutor Matthew Ellis told Flintshire Magistrates’ Court Mr Meagher was sometimes unable to walk and relied on Rathbone, his friend, to help him.

She was at his home and he asked her to do some shopping.

When she returned and put the shopping on the table he assumed she had returned the card as well.

But when he received his bank statement he realised there had been unauthorised withdrawals.

He sent her a text message asking her to account for what had happened and she said she could repay £150 when she received a loan through the Job Centre.

Police were called in. Interviewed, she denied the thefts but when confronted with the text she had sent the complainant she changed her account and admitted what she had done.

Mr Ellis said she had repaid £15 but the victim had been charged an additional £50 by the bank because she had made his account overdrawn.

The Mold court heard Rathbone had a hard life and was in care until the age of 21.
She had a difficult background, she suffered from depression and there had been issues of self-harm.

It was accepted she was in a position of trust when she kept the card and withdrew money for herself.

She had apologised to him personally.