Chesterfield care home manager treated vulnerable patients as her ‘personal' cash machine

Amy Oxer, of Bevan Drive, Inkersall, Chesterfield, was authorised to withdraw money on behalf of residents at the Dovetail Care Home in Mansfield who have brain injuries and other complex needs, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

A senior administrator noticed discrepancies between paperwork and their accounts and Oxer admitted she had a gambling problem at a staff meeting before resigning.

The court heard she stole £11,630 from one patient and sums between £1,040 and £200 from the others , none of whom “have capacity to look after their own finances," between July 2020 and August 2022.

In a statement, the care home's director said most of the residents "can't comprehend the crime" but some do and they have become agitated, distrustful and "anxious about their finances."

“We were both shocked by the amount of money taken,” he said, adding the true amount may never be known as some paperwork was missing and some was destroyed for data protection reasons.

Oxer, aged 37, admitted six counts of theft when she appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on March 29.

Mark Knowles, mitigating, said Oxer, of previous good character, admitted the offences at the earliest opportunity.

“She was motivated by desperation and thought she could pay the money back but everything just built up,” he said.

She has tried to address her gambling and mental health issues and hasn't gambled since, he added.

As a result her seven-year marriage ended and she is “beside herself with the difficulties it has caused her family.”

“She has recently discovered she is pregnant,” said Mr Knowles. “She has learned a bitter lesson. I would urge the court not to penalise her too severely for a monumental error.”

On Tuesday, Judge Stuart Sprawson told her it was “a calculated opportunity to steal” which “undermines the whole value of the care system.”

He said she stole “in the hope that all gamblers have, that just one bet will recoup everything”, adding: “You should be disgusted with yourself for your appalling behaviour.”

He imposed a 17-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with 30 rehabilitation days and 160 hours of unpaid work.