A former Geelong aged care worker with a gambling addiction stole and used an elderly resident’s bank card. Nicole McKinnis, 46, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to a charge of theft while she had been an aged care employee at a Belmont facility. Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Alana Groves Sen-Constable Groves said , McKinnis had stolen a resident’s bank card on February 9 and, over a period of hours, used it to buy groceries, fuel and make purchases from the Tobacco Station, totalling just under $200. “McKinnis was arrested on April 25 and, during a record of interview, told police she stole the card to buy food and because she had alcohol and gambling addictions,” Sen-Constable Groves said. Sarah Wood, for McKinnis, said her client had a gambling addiction and used to get carried away at the pokies. She said McKinnis had not gambled since being caught, that she had lost her job as a result and could no longer afford to gamble. McKinnis was convicted and placed on a 12-month Community Corrections Order with 100 hours unpaid community work.
