CROOKED care home warden Kim Hall has been jailed for nine months after stealing up to £15,000 from a 75-year-old resident.

Hall, 51, of Manton Court, Hibaldstow, near Brigg, admitted stealing money from Margaret Jones.

Jayne Bryan, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the victim had lived alone in one of 65 flats in sheltered accommodation at Lincoln Court Care Home, Ashby, Scunthorpe, for about five years.

Hall was the warden, now known as the support officer, and had held that position for 21 years, the court heard.

The victim realised that money was going missing from her bank account. Hall had her bank card after offering to sort out her financial situation for her.

Hall was suspended for breaching the terms of her contract by getting involved in residents' financial affairs.

Paperwork, including statements, was found in Hall's office.

It was discovered there were a large number of unexplained withdrawals from the account. The total amounted to between £14,000 and £15,000. A precise figure could not be given.

Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said Hall was generally regarded as a trustworthy person but, on this occasion, was "far from it".

She was very remorseful and realised how serious her behaviour was. There was a high degree of breach of trust and Hall "probably thoroughly deserved to go to prison".

She had been in "dire financial straits" but there was an element of pre-meditation and persistence in the offences over a period of about six months, the court was told.

Her husband had an alcohol problem and had lost his job, the family stopped receiving benefits and credits and it "became more and more of a burden on the family purse".

Hall was frightened about the "stigma" of bankruptcy.

"She decided foolishly to start gambling," said Miss Baines.

"She began to lose more than she won. She got in to a cycle of the more you gamble, the more you lose. She began to lose sleep. When she could not sleep, she gambled more regularly, using Internet gambling sites."

She went on to do the "terrible thing" of stealing from the resident, a "breach of trust of the worst kind".

She had since stopped gambling, had been seeing Gamblers Anonymous in Cleethorpes and had brought a cheque for £2,000 to court in an envelope for the victim.

Hall had been dismissed from her job after 21 years and was unemployed.

Recorder Paul Miller told Hall: "This was a persistent and gross breach of trust. A custodial sentence is unavoidable."

It was a "bitter irony" that Hall had been employed to help the woman, he added.

Lincoln Court is a sheltered housing scheme owned by North Lincolnshire Homes.

Director of housing services Steve Hepworth said: "This is an appalling crime, committed by one individual who has breached the trust, not only of the victim but of all the residents she once supported, her former colleagues and her employer. On the offence coming to light, we immediately suspended Hall and following a thorough internal investigation we dismissed her, with immediate effect.

"A senior manager has kept in regular contact with the victim to ensure that she receives the care and support she needs from North Lincolnshire Homes."