UPDATE: |’Cold and cruel’ carer splurged £17k from vulnerable people on gambling and takeaways News

Cheryl Louise Pratt was sentenced to two years in prison

A “cold, cruel and calculated” carer stole £17,000 from elderly and vulnerable people before splurging her ill-gotten gains on gambling websites and takeaways.

Cheryl Louise Pratt, from York, used her position as a senior support worker at a York care home to financially exploit residents.

The 35-year-old was found to have taken money from care home resident’s bank accounts for her own gain.

The carer’s crimes were realised when the brother of one of Pratt’s victims noticed unexpected activity on their bank account.

An internal investigation was launched with Pratt being dismissed from her role before further police investigations.

North Yorkshire Police discovered Pratt had set up a number of online accounts in the name of care home residents.

Following this Pratt was found to have transferred residents’ money into these online accounts before transferring their money into her own account.

The carer was discovered to have spent the money from these transactions on gambling websites, takeaway food, clothes and gifts for her family.

Pratt claimed that the cash withdrawals she made from residents’ had been done with the account holder’s permission when interviewed by police – but a doctor responsible for residents’ medical care gave evidence that none of the victims would have been able to provide true consent.

Pratt was charged with five counts of fraud between August 2020 and September 2021, amounting to a financial loss of just over £17,000 to five victims.

Pratt pleaded guilty at York Crown Court and she was sentenced to two years imprisonment on Tuesday 15 April.

DC Oliver Dalby, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Cheryl Pratt’s offending was cold, cruel and calculated. As a senior carer, she knew which residents would be the most vulnerable to financial exploitation – and these were the people she targeted.

“She abused her position, disregarding her duty to safeguard the care home residents in pursuit of her own self-interest.

“The victims and her former colleagues have been left utterly devastated by her actions, and it is right that she faces the consequences of her crimes.

“I’d also like to thank the victims and the care home staff for their patience and support during this investigation.”