Viral
Carer Went On A Full-On Shopping After Stealing From Woman With Parkinson’s
“I feel taking advantage of elderly people is cruel and as low as it gets.”
Nicola Brimage, who works as a carer for a 78-year-old woman with Parkinson’s, enjoyed an online shopping spree with the elderly’s money. The 32-year-olds spent close to £6,000 on Amazon, eBay, and PayPal, leaving the elderly “devastated” with overdrafts.
Brimage spent all those money on almost 300 purchases and took the liberty of using her personal information to make the purchases. She was prosecuted and attended a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on March 8. The carer said she “just kept on spending” could not stop herself from spending the money.
Liverpool Echo reports that Brimage shed tears when the impact statement written by the victim was read during the hearing by the prosecutor, Paul Blasbery. It read, “The victim said she placed a lot of trust in Nicola. She liked her, respected her, and appreciated the things she had done for her.
“When she found out Nicola had stolen all this money from her, she was devastated. She thought she could trust Nicola and her other carers. She was embarrassed she had been taken for a fool by someone who took advantage of her vulnerability.”
“She said she once lent Nicola £50 when she said she was short of cash. Instead of appreciating the gesture, she took advantage of her,” added Mr. Blasbery. “If Nicola had needed money, she just had to ask me. She didn’t need to steal from me.”
“I feel taking advantage of elderly people is cruel and as low as it gets.”
The prosecutor had confirmed that Brimage was spending the stolen money on “general household goods and effectively some luxury items”. The victim had been reimbursed in full by NatWest.
Ben Berkson, the defender, reasoned that she was at a “very low point” when this happened. Despite that, she’d continued to care “for the vulnerable”. She also had survived abusive partners and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety that led her to be dismissed from work under the reason “unfit” to work.
She was sentenced to a 12-month sentence, 18-month suspension, a 15-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, and 80 hours of volunteer work.
