Aged care worker charged after 104-year-old robbed
Andrew Stafford |
An aged care worker is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a 104-year-old, sparking an elder abuse warning.
The 32-year-old woman faces 40 charges of stealing after allegedly going on a spending spree for days with the elderly man’s debit card.
She is accused of stealing the card while working at the centenarian’s aged care facility at Redland Bay, south of Brisbane, and making a string of personal purchases and withdrawals between August 19-21.
“Police will further allege the woman’s unauthorised transactions from the elderly victim’s debit card accumulated to thousands of dollars,” police said.
An investigation was launched after another aged care worker contacted police when the elderly man realised his card was missing.
Offences against the elderly were a profound breach of trust, Detective Inspector Wayne Francis said.
“The Queensland Police Service is committed to working with older people, the community and support agencies to stop harm to our elders,” he said in a statement.
“We thank the aged care facility for alerting us to the issue as soon as the debit card was discovered to be missing and for working with investigators to get justice for the victim.”
The woman was arrested at a Birkdale address on Tuesday and later charged, prompting a police warning.
“We encourage all members of our community to be aware of the signs of elder abuse and to report suspected elder abuse immediately,” Det Insp Francis said.
People are urged to be on the lookout for behavioural changes that may be telltale signs of elder abuse which can be financial, physical, sexual and psychological or neglect.
The woman is set to appear at Cleveland Magistrates Court on November 11.
Elder Abuse Hotline 1300 651 192.
AAP
