A disabled woman with dementia was “heartbroken and stunned” by the betrayal of her carer who stole thousands of pounds from her.
Sarah Littlejohn took more than £6,000 from 89-year-old Elsie Stephen while she was acting as her carer.
Mrs Stephen died earlier this year without ever receiving an apology from the woman whom she “loved like family” and “would’ve done anything for”, her relatives said.
Littlejohn, a 43-year-old piano teacher and care home worker, was employed to help the pensioner with her shopping and household tasks between 2018 and 2020.
But it wasn’t until the pensioner had a fall and spent time in hospital in December 2020 that her family became suspicious of the arrangement.
Police were contacted when they found a bank statement that showed a chunk of money was missing from their beloved relative’s account.
The subsequent investigation found Littlejohn had taken multiple “duplicate transactions” out of the account using Mrs Stephen’s card between March and December 2020 and even used it to pay her phone bills during the same period.
‘She was heartbroken and never recovered’
Littlejohn has now paid back the £6,688 she accepted taking and so was spared a prison sentence in favour of unpaid work instead.
Olive Pirie, Elsie’s disappointed sister-in-law, told The Press and Journal after the sentencing: “It was calculated. Sarah was destroying Elsie’s bank statements as they came in the door.
“Elsie was so kind. She would have helped anybody. If Sarah had said she needed money, Elsie would have given her it. That’s the sad thing.
“She was gobsmacked when she found out what had happened. It was the end of her world.
“She was heartbroken and never recovered. She spoke about it a lot about it. She trusted her and thought the world of her only to be treated this way. It’s heartbreaking.
“I don’t know how someone could do that and have no conscience.
“We just want people to know the type of person she is because Elsie is not here to get any justice or closure.”
Mrs Stephen, who was both blind and deaf when she died aged 91 in January, had no family of her own but was close to her siblings’ children.
Nephew Scott Tucker, who also attended court, said he came across one bank statement and spent months ordering copies of others as he “didn’t want to believe” it could be his sister-in-law behind the thefts.
He said his aunt, originally of Aberchirder then Janesfield Manor sheltered housing and Ruthrieston House in Aberdeen, was “stunned” when Littlejohn admitted taking the money.
“After getting over the shock she was just really hurt,” he added.
“It hit her like a ton of bricks. There was no apology from Sarah to Elsie or to anybody. Just an admission she’d done it.”
An impact statement, written by Mr Tucker, was considered by Sheriff Eric Brown when the case called at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. In it, Mr Tucker stated: “For our family, it’s no longer about how much was stolen but for us the most horrific part of this is the aftermath. This was all brought about by a person who was loved and trusted completely by Elsie.”
‘No one is willing to forgive her’
His wife Kelly added that she’s concerned about Littlejohn now working in a care home environment amongst other vulnerable people.
She added: “She is still flaunting about as though she’s done nothing wrong meanwhile Elsie was so badly affected she stopped eating and socialising.
“She has seen an opportunity and taken it. It was not a spur-of-the-moment thing – she was aware of what she was doing. No one is willing to forgive her.”
Sentencing Littlejohn, who was accompanied to court by her husband, Elsie’s other nephew, Sheriff Brown said it was a “gross breach of trust the consequences of which were not only financial”.
He added that there “may well be consequences” for Littlejohn’s employment with vulnerable people now and questioned her claims that some of the family had forgiven her.
Littlejohn’s defence agent John Hardie said: “She is as unforgiving of herself” as the author of the impact letter, Mr Tucker, was.
“My client provided care for the complainer and during the course of that relationship found herself in charge of the finances,” he said.
“She accepts she took advantage of that to make matters easier for herself, always telling herself she would pay the money back.
“She was confronted by family and she duly admitted what she had done.”
The betrayal ‘haunts’ accused
He said Littlejohn immediately took a second job to repay the funds between July 2021 and September 2022 and hinted that many of Mrs Stephen’s family had forgiven her.
But that’s something they all strongly deny.
Mr Hardie added: “It haunts her to know that the woman she cares for would be so upset and devastated by the betrayal.”
Fiscal depute Anne McDonald also provided background to the court and said the thefts only came to light when Mrs Stephen had a bad fall and spent time in hospital in January 2021.
She said many of the withdrawals Littlejohn took out using the pensioner’s card were “legitimate” but formed “double transactions” the second of which she pocketed herself.
Littlejohn, of St Michael’s Road, Newtonhill, admitted stealing a total of £6,688 between March 28 and December 14 2020.
The first-time offender was handed 160 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody.
Elsie’s niece, Wendy Pirie, slammed Littlejohn’s “lenient” sentence.
“It’s no wonder people re-offend with such light sentences given to them,” she said.
“That punishment won’t undo the extreme emotional distress and sadness she caused my auntie to feel in the last few years of her life.
“She was one of the sweetest, most caring and generous people that you could ever meet.
“She couldn’t believe that Sarah was so lovely but did something so cruel to her because she treated her like one of the family.”
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