Care home manager guilty of fraud

Sheelah Macey, 59, of Mill Lane, Rustington, stole over £5000 from a vulnerable 69-year-old who had been placed in the Victoria Parkview rest home by social services when her carer died in 2009.

Macey managed the home at that time and took the victim to her bank to withdraw some of the money.

She had her savings account changed to a current account and then used a bank card to withdraw sums of cash at £200-300 a time.

She also wrote and signed three cheques that she paid into her own bank account, amounting to a total of £5400.

The offence came to light when a new owner of the home became suspicious of withdrawals from the victim’s bank account as she knew that she was confined to the home.

In October 2011, Macey was arrested and in March 2012 she was charged.

Sentencing her at Chichester Crown Court, Judge William Wood QC said that guidelines stated that he should allow her time to repay what she stole and it was agreed that the total should be paid back by September 13. If she fails to do this, then she faces imprisonment. She was also ordered to pay costs of £1355.