Callous Leeds care-home manager stole frail resident’s money to buy designer Ted Baker clothing

Alison Bulmer worked at Moorfield House Care Home in Leeds and used the man’s bank card to splash out on Ted Baker clothing, along with M&S clothing, bedding and garden furniture. The 50-year-old also tried to siphon thousands of pounds from the care home by forging invoices sent from bogus companies.

The 50-year-old, of Iveson Drive, Lawnswood, appeared at Leeds Crown Court where she admitted two counts of fraud, and an offence of failing to register as the home’s manager, which she is required to do by law.

Prosecutor Adam Keenaghan said that she had worked at the Moortown home from December 2017 and October 2018. But suspicions were raised in the autumn of 2018 when three invoices were sent to the home from a construction company, roofing firm and recruitment company, totalling more than £5,300.

The home’s accounts team investigated and found the money was to be directed to accounts belonging to Bulmer. They also found none of the three companies had ever existed.

But it was found that Bulmer had also been using a resident’s bank card that was stored in the home’s safe. The elderly man had been in the home since 2014 because of ill health, but the police were called when suspicions about her spending were raised.

She was arrested in June 2019 and denied any wrongdoing, claiming the resident had asked her to buy items. She was interviewed a year later and still maintained her innocence.

In a victim personal statement, read to the court by the court by the victim’s daughter, she said: “She did not only take his money, she took his trust and self respect. She humiliated him.

“At Christmas, he felt embarrassed and ashamed because he could not get his grandchildren even a tiny gift. She left him with nothing. He never forgot, even in the weeks before he died he was asking when the court date was.

“Her manipulation of an extremely vulnerable and unwell man had us all blaming ourselves. We trusted her in a position of authority to look after and support dad. Instead she abused that.

“He died without getting any explanation or justice, and that’s unforgiveable. She had years to admit what she did and maybe give him some form of peace. Only when he died she finally admit it.”

Mitigating, Anastasis Tasou said Bulmer, who only has previous motoring offences to her name, had been under “enormous stress” to transform the home’s fortunes after a scathing CQC report into standards, in addition, she struggled with two gravely-ill parents.

He said: “It was layer upon layer of stress. Maybe it was an attempt to make her life a little bit easier. She struggled to explain her actions. She absolutely fully accept that everything she did was wrong, dishonest and should never have happened.

"She has lost a 27-year career and will never be able to work in that industry again.” Judge Neil Clark gave her a 16-month sentence, suspended for 24 months and 100 hours of unpaid work.