A CARER who stole money from mentally ill patients at a home she worked in must get mental health treatment herself.

Elaine Royal, 50, of Hillside, Burnley, admitted fraud by abusing her position to access a patient’s account and then steal thousands of pounds from them.

The offences were committed over a period of time when Royal worked in shared accommodation in Rishton.

She was employed to look after people with no understanding of their finances and police said she ‘took advantage’ of them in a crime ‘motivated by greed’.

At Preston Crown Court on Monday, Royal, who was employed by Blackburn-based care firm Oxygen Support Services, was given a 32-week jail term, suspended for 12 months.

She was given a 12-month supervision order to include a mental health treatment requirement.

Royal was employed between 2007 and 2010 and used one patient’s debit card to pay for a logbook loan worth £670 on August 18, 2008 and for car servicing worth £163 on August 27 2008.

She was charged with stealing almost £2,000 from the man in cash between August 2009 and December 2010.

She admitted further similar charges of stealing thousands of pounds over the same period from three other patients.

Her co-accused, Gail Bolton, 44, of St James’ Close, Lostock Hall, was also given a suspended sentence at an earlier hearing.

Police described the offences as ‘callous’.

The alarm was raised by one of the women’s colleagues who noticed discrepancies in the accounts of patients.