A FORMER care home manager who stole the bank card of a vulnerable girl and used it to buy drugs and a car has been sentenced.
Rachel Quinn, 34, of Avebury Road, Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to theft at Manchester and Salford Magistrate’s Court on May 10, 2018 and was yesterday sentenced to one year and four months in prison.
The court heard that Quinn was a manager at are care home in Huddersfield, when in September 2016 a bank account was set up for a vulnerable girl with learning difficulties in her care.
The account was set up in order to deposit £29, 718 of disability living allowance saved by the girl’s previous foster carer, and intended for the girl’s future use after she turned 18 and left care.
Quinn took the card, as well as the card to a second bank account owned by the girl, and visited an ATM to find out which card worked for which bank account.
Thereafter, Quinn took possession of the cards, telling a colleague that she would give to them to head office for safe keeping.
She had the cards in her possession when a holiday to Disneyland, Paris costing £2,050 was booked legitimately for the girl in May 2017.
Quinn quit her role with the care home shortly afterwards.
A short time later, the girl wanted to purchase a prom dress, but care home staff were unable to locate the bank cards.
Quinn was arrested and in interview admitted taking money from the account.
In a bid to kerb her own offending, she had scratched the payment chip from the card accessing the account with thousands of pounds in.
However, she said that she’d been unable to cope with a spiral of debt and had resorted to transferring funds into the second account owned by the girl, in order that she could continue spending with its un-damaged card.
She admitted using the money to buy cocaine, a car and event tickets.
Detective constable James Grundy of GMP’s Specialist Fraud Investigating Unit said: “This money was to be used to ensure a vulnerable young woman had a comfortable future when she bravely faced leaving care.
“Instead, she was betrayed by the very person who should have been looking after her.
“Quinn acted despicably and spent the money on luxury items. Shamefully, she even spent money on Class A dugs.
“We welcome the sentence handed down by the court and hope it goes to show that we will tirelessly pursue and convict offenders who think they can steal from others without consequence.”
