Ruth Fort, 37, stole money from a 48-year-old woman in a wheelchair while working at Crystal Hall Care Home for a two-month period between October 2018 and December 2018 – her husband reported her to the police

A caregiver who stole £ 7,200 from a vulnerable woman and blew her up on a luxury vacation in Mexico was surprised when her husband saw her talking in her sleep surrounded by £ 20 bills.

Ruth Fort, 37, stole money from a 48-year-old woman in a wheelchair while working at Crystal Hall Care Home.

The court heard that she had attacked the woman for two months, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Fort, from Birkenhead, was offered another chance by a judge at Preston Crown Court in February 2021 when she was given a 16-month suspended sentence of 18 months with conditions such as participation in drug addiction treatment sessions.

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The sentencing judge spoke of “the loathing the public feels for people in positions of authority and responsibility who take advantage of vulnerable members of our community for financial gain.”

She told Fort, “The temptation here has turned to greed and you should be ashamed of your behavior. “

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday that she had breached the suspended prison sentence by failing to attend drug addiction treatment twice and also missed a meeting with her probation officer.

Between October and December 2018, Fort wrote down the victim’s ID number when she took him to an ATM, then stole his bank card before using it to withdraw money and purchase items. .

The “greedy” woman was only arrested after her husband Anthony discovered her and reported her to the police.

In November 2018, he became concerned about his wife’s spending habits after seeing her spending an “exorbitant” amount of money while on vacation in Mexico.

In December, Fort’s aunt also expressed concern after seeing her withdraw large amounts from an ATM.

Later that same month, Anthony woke up to see his wife sitting in bed and talking in her sleep, and his purse was on the floor with £ 20 bills sticking out.

He found the victim’s bank card and Fort confessed to him when he challenged her about it.

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Anthony then reported her to the police. Fort then fled the house but was eventually found by detectives with the help of the DWP.

Yesterday, Fort admitted to breaking his suspended sentence.

John Keane, defending, said Fort is a vulnerable member of society and his life fell apart as a result of the affair.

He told the court that Fort has epilepsy and has a 15-year-old daughter who depends on her.

She injured her spine during her last major seizure and was awaiting surgery, but it was delayed due to the pandemic.

Mr Keane said some of the drug rehab classes involved attending Zoom meetings, but it was not ideal for his client and she would benefit from human interaction.

He said: “She says she’s turned a corner and if the drug tests had not been suspended because of Covid, they would come back negative.”

Judge Brian Cummings, QC, said he took into account the impact an immediate jail sentence would have on his daughter.

He said he would give her one last chance and did not activate the conditional sentence.

He imposed a six-week curfew between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and warned her that if she broke orders or committed other offenses, the prison sentence would likely be activated.

He said, “This is almost certainly your last chance.”