A palliative care nurse who robbed dying patients and used their credit cards to buy clothes, junk food and Viagra has pleaded guilty to a total of 22 charges, including theft and deception. Naol Benti, 27, was working as a registered nurse at Mercy Place – a residential aged care facility in Parkville, central Melbourne – when he started stealing from his elderly victims in December 2017. The father-of-two racked up hundreds of dollars worth of bills on such frivolous purchases as ice cream, pizza, kitchen appliances and a diamante watch. The father-of-two racked up hundreds of dollars worth of bills on such frivolous purchases as ice cream, pizza, kitchen appliances and a diamante watch Benti’s first shopping spree alone came in at more than $500. ‘I think that’s probably as low as you get,’ said Anne, the daughter of 91-year-old Mary whose cash and cards were missing from her wallet on the day she passed away. ‘You don’t get much worse than that… How could someone do this?’ Another patient reportedly awoke to find Benti holding his $1400 watch, with the nurse claiming he was going to take it to get the battery replaced. Benti was ultimately arrested and charged in early August. The accused’s lawyer told the court his client was remorseful and embarrassed, and further noted that Benti’s wife was pregnant and mentally ill in the time leading up to his crimes. For now, Benti remains employed in aged care. A verdict on the case will be announced today.
