By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 13:39, Saturday, 14 November 2009

An elderly widow who went into respite care returned home to find her house had been emptied by her social worker from Cumbria.

The horrified 84-year-old discovered that virtually everything she had amassed during her lifetime – including her late husband’s ashes – had gone.

Most of her jewellery was recovered – along with some of her savings – but other personal items and all her furniture and fittings, except for a settee and a cupboard, had been taken to a tip or charity shops.

Her social worker, Tony Child, of Houghton, Carlisle, denied stealing her property.

But after a nine-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the 62-year-old was convicted of three specimen burglary offences involving a flat screen TV, 10 items of jewellery and £380 cash. Judge David Boulton remanded him in custody ahead of sentencing later this month.

The father-of-four, whose wife is in hospital having recently suffered a stroke, was employed by Wigan social services at the time of the offences.

Jurors heard during the trial that the victim, Margaret Heyes, went into hospital after a fall at her Wigan home in July last year. The following month she went into a nursing home for respite care.

On August 28 Child went to her house to collect clothes for her and found the premises stuffed with items.

Neville Biddle, prosecuting, said Mrs Heyes used to live in a three-bedroomed house but, after the death of her husband, moved into the one-bedroom bungalow.

Child decided to clear her home and spoke to the nursing home manageress, who agreed to help him along with her partner after he convinced them he had the woman’s written permission to do so.

He hired a van and also paid a neighbour of Mrs Heyes to help. During the operation, which took until mid-September, he took items of her jewellery and about £8,000-worth of cash to her solicitors.

Child claimed the solicitor and a senior social worker had given him permission to act as he did but they denied this, as did Mrs Heyes.

His temporary work contract ended on September 17.

When his replacement went to the house she was shocked to find the bungalow virtually empty.

When Mrs Heyes went home fully recovered, she found that all her possessions had gone.

Child, of The Coach House, Townhead Farm, denied four charges of burglary, claimed he had acted with permission and believed she was to be evicted because of rent arrears.

The jury could not agree on one of the charges. involving her husband’s ashes and a video collection. The judge discharged them from returning a verdict on that offence.

First published at 09:12, Saturday, 14 November 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk