THE family of an ailing elderly woman whose savings account was almost emptied in her latter years felt “total betrayal” by the trusted carer responsible.

Susan Hopkinson, who is of previous good character withdrew several hundred pounds of the vulnerable victim’s saving on numerous occasions over the last three years of her life.

Durham Crown Court heard that even five days after the woman’s death, at the age of 94, Hopkinson was making her final withdrawal, in January last year.

It was only following the victim's funeral that her family, from out of the region, realised that their aunt’s account had been plundered when they came to try to sort out her affairs.

Peter Sabiston, prosecuting, said it became apparent that from a position where there was close to £100,000 in her savings, there was only about £3,000 left in her account – despite the widow being responsible for little expenditure in her last few years due to her ailing health.

When suspicion fell on Hopkinson, who was her main respite carer, she claimed that she had a verbal agreement with the woman, who wanted to give her money, and she claimed she had only told her own daughter, and no-one else of the arrangement.

She had begun by writing cheques for herself and then using a debit card at a cash machine.

But she initially tried to play down the amounts involved, until it became apparent that she had been making frequent withdrawals, mostly at the £300 limit per day.

The court heard the victim had been in Sandringham Care Home in Bishop Auckland, and also Defoe Court Care Home, in Newton Aycliffe, and gradually needed more respite care, which is how Hopkinson became more involved.

Reading from the impact statement of the victim’s nephew and niece, her closest living relatives, who are from the south-west, Mr Sabiston said they only became aware what had taken place following their return from her funeral.

Her nephew said: “The whole thing came to my knowledge when I returned from her funeral to discover she was the victim of theft from a woman we thought we could all trust.

“We came to grieve the death of my aunt. Me and my sister were the sole beneficiaries, but that money will not be replaced.”

He said what made it worse was that the money would have eventually “cascaded down” to younger members of the family, who will not, now, benefit.

Mr Sabiston said the nephew said he felt, “total betrayal” by the actions of Hopkinson, who had, "tainted the grieving process”, with the withdrawal of cash from their aunt’s account even after her death being “particularly disturbing”.

Fifty-year-old Hopkinson, of Conyers Place, Newton Aycliffe, admitted a charge of theft of £94,268.95, between January 1, 2013, and January 9, 2016.

Andrew Finlay, mitigating, said Hopkinson was of previous good character, and put in her guilty plea at a hearing last month called due to delays in the submission of defence papers, 24 days before her scheduled trial.

Mr Finlay said there had been some fitness to plead issues and a psychiatric statement was prepared.

He said: “She still can’t really recall or explain in much detail why she committed the offence and what was going on when the offence was committed.”

Mr Finlay said, unusually for her, she was drinking heavily at the time, “which was clearly out of character.”

“She’s remorseful and ashamed, and she’s had to face up to her family, and deal with the consequences.

“The need for use of alcohol may provide some form of explanation why she took these very large amounts of money.”

Jailing her for three years and four months, Judge Simon Hickey, told Hopkinson: “You knew what you were doing. You were of good character, indeed exemplary character, having worked in the care system for 30 years, but, for some inexplicable reason, you began to take that money.

“It was a substantial amount of money, targeting a vulnerable victim due to age and isolation.”

Proceeds of crime act proceedings will follow to see what sums of money can be confiscated from the defendant.