A CARER who helped herself to more than £1,000 of an old lady's cash has started a two-month jail term.

Hard-up Diane Margaret Heaven, 36, took the 86-year-old victim's money because her husband had lost his job, and she had bills to pay and Christmas presents to buy for her children, Burnley magistrates heard.

Heaven, of Garnett Street, Barrowford, admitted theft of £1,150 between October 1998 and April 1999. She was told by the bench she had betrayed a vulnerable victim. Heaven must pay £1,150 compensation.

Claire Fanning, prosecuting, told the court the offence was a very serious breach of trust. Heaven had been employed by Stella Maris, a community care company in Burnley and visited the victim, a client of the firm for four years, daily. As part of her duties Heaven often withdrew money for the pensioner to pay her bills.

Police were later informed by Stella Maris that money which could not be accounted for had gone from the 86-year-old's account.

Heaven was arrested and admitted what she had done and said she had needed money to pay her bills and buy Christmas presents. She had no previous convictions. Graeme Tindall, defending, said until last October Heaven's husband had worked at Lucas, but was made redundant and the defendant had been under financial pressure. The family cloth had been cut according to the fact Mr Heaven was earning £800 a month and a large chunk of income was lost.

He said the defendant saw the opportunity to offend when she was withdrawing the pensioner's money for legitimate purposes. She made full and frank admissions and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. The complainant was unable to make a statement to police and Heaven, who was not an uncaring person, had not wished to cause the pensioner any further hassle or heartache.

Mr Tindall added that Heaven had shown great remorse for what she had done and knew it had been wrong. She was anxious about the outcome of the proceedings and what she had done was an aberration in the behaviour of somebody who was normally law abiding.

Mr Tindall added that an illustration of Heaven's caring nature was that she had recently done a sponsored abseil for Cancer Research. The money to compensate the victim had been raised and was with his firm ready to be paid over.

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