A heartless carer left a disabled pensioner in debt and suffering a suspected mini-stroke when she used his debit card to splurge on clothes, food and music. Christina Bloomfield spent more than £8,000 with the likes of women's clothing company Simply Be, as well as Just Eat and iTunes while looking after the man, who was in his 70s and lived alone. The extent of her deceit only came to light after the victim received a letter from debt collectors informing him of an outstanding payment with the fashion chain.
He later told police that he "never believed" Bloomfield would take advantage of him in such a way, having known her for many years and being a childhood friend of his son's. A court heard the 43-year-old even continued to spend on his card despite his request for it to be returned when he replaced her with another carer. Bloomfield, of Kenward Road, Yalding, initially claimed when interviewed by police as long ago as August 2019 that the pensioner had given her permission to make her own purchases.
She also said it was she who had ended their weekly caring arrangement and suspected her replacement was the one "taking advantage" of him, Maidstone Crown Court was told. But, having denied any crime and facing a trial, the mum-of-three eventually pleaded guilty in March this year to fraud by false representation, accepting she had helped herself to £8,500 of the gentleman's money between October 2015 and March 2018. At her sentencing hearing on Wednesday (May 22), prosec.