Gambling-addicted carer who stole £10k from vulnerable man spared prison
A gambling-addicted carer in Dover who stole nearly £10,000 from a vulnerable man has been spared prison.Summary
Sarah Defriend, a 50-year-old carer from Dover, repeatedly used the bank card of a vulnerable man with schizophrenia to withdraw £9,650 over two years to fund her gambling addiction. She admitted fraud by abuse of position but was initially given a conditional caution requiring her to repay the money, which she failed to do, even after a substantial gambling win. At Canterbury Crown Court, she received a 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months, 200 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay £2,000 in compensation. The judge noted her remorse, early guilty plea, and low risk of reoffending, citing the statutory presumption under the Sentencing Act 2026 that short sentences be suspended except in exceptional circumstances.
(Source：Kent Online)