Care home worker allegedly used 80-year-old resident's bank card

Clare Scarfe was employed as a team leader at Peppercorn House in Peppercorn Way, Ipswich, and committed the alleged offences after helping the elderly resident to key in his bank card number when he was doing online banking, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Matthew Sorel-Cameron, prosecuting, said the resident, who had since died, had been mentally fit but had physical issues which affected his dexterity and made it difficult for him to him to use a computer.

He had allegedly asked Scarfe for help when he wanted to check his bank balance and she had assisted by keying in his bank card number.

In January 2018 he had asked her to help him make a transaction on the internet using his bankcard and she had allegedly kept a copy of the card number and used it to pay for a £45 order from Domino”s Pizza.

The resident had spotted the transaction the following day and his daughter had cancelled his bankcard, said Mr Sorel-Cameron.

A new card was sent out to him and Scarfe had allegedly used the details to pay her half of a £700 bill for her and her partner’s BMW.

Once again the transaction was spotted the next day by the resident who reported it to his daughter, who cancelled the card.

Following the discovery of the two transactions Scarfe was interviewed by police and claimed she didn’t know anything about them.

Mr Sorel-Cameron said that when it became clear she’d used the card she had expressed shock.

“The prosecution say it was manufactured shock and she knew she’d used the bankcard details,” said Mr Sorel-Cameron.

He said Scarfe told police that if she’d used the resident’s bankcard details she’d done it accidentally after writing the numbers on a post-it note which was among post-it notes containing her own bank details.

“We say the account she gave was untruthful,” said Mr Sorel-Cameron.

Scarfe, 47, of Eccles Road, Ipswich, has denied two offences of fraud dating back to January 21 and February 5, 2018.

The trial continues.