In a “serious breach of trust” a care worker stole a resident’s bank card withdrawing thousands of cash before handing herself in, a court has heard. Kellie Ann Telford, 49, faced the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on Tuesday after stealing $18,567 from the woman in her care. The Mil-Lel woman, who worked at Lambert Lodge for about seven years, was able to access the 67-year-old retiree’s bank card and PIN. The police prosecutor said Telford used the card roughly once a fortnight between June 28, 2019, and January 24, 2020, only turning herself in after an ATM swallowed the stolen card. The court heard she “fully admitted” during her police interview she had “no right to withdraw the money”. “She believed at that point that the card may have been reported as lost or stolen and that’s when she immediately notified the manager,” the police prosecutor said. “Matters of this nature are quite serious to the community. It’s a serious breach of trust.” On Thursday, Telford’s defence lawyer, Jarrad Sim, said the offending began as she was living week-to-week and claimed her employer often was late to pay her. “That was a significant imposition to her and at times felt desperate as a result,” Mr Sim said. Telford’s court appearance occurred after the Adult Safe Guarding Unit delivered its first annual report into elder abuse earlier this year. It reported 946 calls were made to the SA Elder Abuse Prevention phone line in 2019-20 highlighting financial abuse was the most common form. Telford is expected to be sentenced in December.
