A former aged carer has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $150,000 from an elderly man to fund her “lavish life of luxury”. Manjula Kempster, 56, fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this morning with the support of her two sons. After missing several other court dates, the well-groomed woman wiped away tears after admitting to three charges of fraud. She pleaded guilty to the three charges before Magistrate Suzanne Cameron. The court heard she had written and cashed dozens of cheques in the name of her frail elderly former client Raymond Woff, of Brighton East, who has since died. The Moorabbin woman’s most expensive spending spree was funded by $113,897.50 from 20 cheques she wrote fraudulently between January 11 and December 15, 2015. Other documents presented in court showed she dishonestly obtained money by writing dozens of cheques, each ranging in value from hundreds of dollars to more than $11,000. She presented the cheques to Mr Woff’s wealth management company, who then transferred the cash into her own bank account. Police prosecutor Alex Albert told the court there were more cases to be investigated before Ms Kempster appears again in the County Court next year.
