A CLEANER employed by a Carlisle care home went on a shopping spree after stealing a bank card belonging to an elderly resident with dementia.

On nine occasions, the city’s Rickergate court heard, Zoya Bogotlieva, 48, fraudulently used the woman’s debit card to pay for shopping trips to local supermarkets, including Tesco, Lidl and Spar.

The defendant immediately admitted her guilt when police confronted her with CCTV evidence from the stores she visited. 

Bogotlieva, of Duke Street, Carlisle, pleaded guilty to two offences: the theft of the victim’s Halifax debit card on January 29; and fraud by false representation on dates between January 29 and February 3.

The charge confirmed that she fraudulently spent just under £200 on goods while using the victim’s bank card.

George Shelley, prosecuting, said the victim was a resident at the Carlisle care home where Bogotlieva worked as a cleaner. “During the course of this employment,” said the prosecutor, “she obtained the credit card belonging to [the victim] and used this on nine occasions over a four day period.”

“She used the credit card at various retail shops in Carlisle.”

Mr Shelley said the victim was deemed a “vulnerable adult” because she was suffering from dementia. The offences came to light when the woman’s son was checking her bank statements.

He noticed that several contactless payments had been made. Mr Shelley added: “Those payments could not have been made by [his mother] as she does not leave the care home.

“The payments were made during the coronavirus lockdown, which meant that the only people going into the home were the staff.”

The Halifax had agreed to refund the £198 which the defendant fraudulently spent when using the victim’s account. Police confirmed Bogotlieva’s visits to Tesco, Spar and Lidl by checking CCTV images.

The footage showed the defendant using the stolen card to make the payments. “She was identified by the duty manager from the care home,” said Mr Shelley. “When interviewed she made full and frank admissions to both offences.”

The defendant was a person of previous good character, the court heard. But her offence amounted to a serious breach of trust.

The fraud charge she admitted states that she, while occupying a position, namely a care home cleaning staff worker, in which you were expected to safeguard, or not to act against, the financial interests of [the victim], she dishonestly abused that position intending thereby to make a gain."

Kate Hunter, defending, said what happened had been a “moment of weakness” by the defendant, a single parent who had lost her job as a result of the offences but had now found a new job as an egg production operative. 

“She found the card in a drawer in a communal area,” said the lawyer. “She saw the card, took it, and made the foolish decision to use the card. It’s something she has reflected on and regrets.”

Bogotlieva spent the money she stole on food.

The defendant had worked at the care home for six years and while it was not a glamourous job, she had loved it, said Miss Hunter. "She is ashamed to be here today and ashamed of what she has done.

"It will impact on her forever. She was a person of good character until today. She describes herself as very honest. She worked in a laundary previously and would always hand in notes and wallets which were lost.

"But, like a lot of people at the moment, she had found herself struggling financially and then had this momentary lapse of judgement." 

Magistrates said the two offences passed the custody threshold. The imposed 12 weeks jail but suspended the sentence for a year, noting that the defendant was a parent, with no previous convictions and she had shown "total remorse."

Bogotlieva must pay £85 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.