Care worker jailed for defrauding Acocks Green disabled woman
Aug 8 2009 by Mark Cowan, Birmingham Mail
A CALLOUS care worker who fleeced a disabled woman out of tens of thousands of pounds, including re-mortgaging her home, was today behind bars.
Helen Bailey “systematically” defrauded Irene Simons while employed to look after the 62-year-old at her home.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that she saddled Mrs Simons with a debt of almost £28,000 after secretly re-mortgaging her Acocks Green home in 2003.
The schemer also filed bogus timesheets, falsely claiming her husband Paul Bailey had helped to care for Mrs Simons – raking in a further £36,000.
Bailey’s trail of deception finally ended yesterday when she was jailed for 18 months for what the judge described as a serious “breach of trust”.
Paul Bailey, 38, avoided immediate jail for going along with the three-year fraud.
Mum-of-four Mrs Simons said: “It’s been three years of hell. I feel very hurt because I treated her like a family friend. I could have lost my house and ended up living in a home. I think she started off with little bits and when she got away with it just got greedy.”
Anthony Warner, prosecuting, said Mrs Simons suffered from a severe muscle-wasting disorder.
