A 47-year-old care worker who stole thousands from a wheelchair-bound woman and spent it on holidays was caught by her husband when she admitted her crimes in her sleep.
Ruth Fort was supposed to look after the vulnerable woman at a care home when she took £7,200 ($9,786) from her over a two-month period.
Her husband Antony then heard her talking in her sleep and when he listened, he was shocked to discover his wife’s horrific crime.
Antony first became suspicious when Ruth blew thousands during their holiday to Mexico. But one month later, he heard his wife mumbling about the crime in her sleep and found the vulnerable woman’s resident debit card in her wallet.
The 61-year-old immediately went to the police station and reported his wife to the police.
“I had my suspicions when Ruth began over-spending. It was more of an instinct really, at first. But when I found the debit card in her purse, I just knew. It was heart-breaking,” the father of three said.
“I loved Ruth deeply, but I could not ignore what she had done. It was abhorrent to me that she could steal from a vulnerable person and I had to report her.”
He continued: “One night, in August 2018, I picked Ruth up from work and she told me she’d taken one of the care home residents out shopping that day.
“She said the lady, who was in a wheelchair, had 98k in her bank account. Something in the way she spoke just made my heart sink. I realized Ruth must have access to the card and pin number.
“There was no more to it, but I began worrying, even though I had no reason to. It was an instinct.”
When Antony booked a family holiday to Mexico, that’s when his concerns grew and grew.
“Ruth booked lots of trips on the holiday. She was spending so much. When I questioned her, she claimed relatives had given her a thousand pounds spending money. I wasn’t sure whether to believe her.”
Four weeks later, Antony woke to hear his wife talking in her sleep. he then saw the purse on the floor and noticed a debit card that belonged to a care home resident.
“Ruth was mumbling about money and when I woke up, I saw the purse on the floor with a few notes fallen out. I got up to put them back, and in her purse, I saw the debit card,” he shared.
“It all clicked into place, and I felt absolutely sickened. I couldn’t believe it. When Ruth woke up, I confronted her, and she admitted everything. I told her to pack her bags and leave. It was heart-breaking,
“I loved her, and yet I knew I had no choice but to report her.”
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