Carer who conned elderly couple out of £25,000 caught by Uber Eats order

Carer who conned elderly couple out of £25,000 caught by Uber Eats order Lyndsey Mcgivern emptied the couple's account after they were put into care homes with dementia A mum of four who conned an elderly couple out of more than £25,000 was eventually caught through a £20 Uber Eats order. Lyndsey McGivern systematically stole from Derek and Valerie Haynes after they were moved into care homes. The 45-year-old left their bank account overdrawn with unpaid direct debits. Canterbury Crown Court heard the nine-month fraud involved regular withdrawals of large sums of cash and grocery purchases at local shops totalling thousands of pounds. Mcgivern, of Nixon Avenue, Ramsgate, was eventually linked to the missing money through a £20 Uber Eats order. A police search of her home uncovered a carrier bag stuffed with personal documents belonging to the victims, one of whom has since died. They included birth, marriage and land registry certificates, as well as property deeds. Mcgivern, described as an informal carer for the couple, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position, namely by using their bank card without authority, between April 4, 2024, and January 31, 2025. The total identified loss was a few pennies above £25,237. Prosecutor Kieran Brand told the court that Derek and Valerie Haynes were "exceptionally vulnerable" with advanced dementia and, by 2024, had "lost the capacity" to manage their own affairs. T hey were moved permanently into residential accommodation. Mcgivern had been involved in their care before the move. "She presented herself as an informal carer, living nearby and helping with their shopping and everyday tasks," explained Mr Brand. "It was noticed that they trusted her to a significant degree and both would often refuse assistance from others but accept it from the defendant." Once in residential care, Kent County Council began the process of obtaining deputyship and details of their finances. It was then that Mcgivern's fraud was discovered. "Bank statements revealed extensive spending, cash withdrawals and transactions long after Mr and Mrs Haynes had been moved into care," said the prosecutor. "Their bank account became overdrawn and direct debits were returned unpaid. "Neither of them could have undertaken the various transactions as they lacked the physical opportunity and mental capacity to do so, and any absence from their care homes would have been recorded. The accounts revealed a prolonged pattern of expenditure from April 2024 - the time they went into care - to January 2025 - when the anomalies were discovered. "There were large sums of cash withdrawals and thousands spent in convenience stores on grocery purchases, with the transactions conducted in local businesses in Ramsgate - such as the North Star off-licence, Tesco and Asda - and other shops close to the defendant's address." Mr Brand accepted that "on the face of it" the money was spent on "everyday living expenses", but he said the defendant also made regular cash withdrawals up to the daily limit of £250. "Similarly, at the same time, the banking evidence showed that spending went down from her own account, save for £4,000 with gambling websites," he added. The prosecutor continued: "Police established links between the defendant and the use of the victims' finances, one example being a £20 purchase from Uber Eats which was linked to her Uber Eats account." Of the paperwork found at her home in a carrier bag, Mr Brand added: "It included Mr Haynes's passport, Mrs Haynes's NHS card, birth certificates, marriage certificate, land registry certificate, property deeds and other documents relating to ownership of their home address." While one of the victims had since died, the other was said by Mr Brand to be "completely unaware" of the defendant's deception. It was also said they were not known to have any dependents. Her lawyer, Dale Beeson, said she had known the couple for many years, became an acquaintance and then took on a more caring role. She had helped the couple for approximately seven years. Mr Beeson said: "She is fully aware of the predicament she has put herself in and is extremely remorseful for her actions. This offence was opportunistic at the outset, there was a genuine existing relationship with them, and it went slightly sour. She was quite shocked once the final total was presented to her." Judge Simon Taylor said: "I will accept your position that you began your contact with them on a benevolent basis to assist them and then it deteriorated into dishonest, fraudulent, manipulative and, frankly, disgraceful behaviour. These two individuals, who no doubt had worked hard for their money, trusted you and asked for your help, and over a sustained period of time you abused that trust. They were effectively sitting ducks to your crime and unable to do anything about it." Mcgivern was sentenced to one year and 10 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 300 hours' unpaid work - the maximum that can be imposed - up to 25 rehabilitation activity requirements and a mental health treatment requirement.