"All the faith and trust you have in people just drained out of me." A 91-year-old army veteran who set aside £6,000 for a 70th wedding anniversary cruise with his wife has described the awful moment he realised the money had been stolen - just one day before they were due to leave. John Shwenn and his wife Christina, 92, had booked the celebration cruise for September 3 last year.
But on September 2, when John's son took him out for a medical appointment, carer Olivia Hannah, 19, entered the couple's bedroom and swiped a bundle of cash from their bedroom drawer. Hannah, of Margaret Court, Widnes , appeared at Warrington Combined Court on Monday, August 6, where she pleaded guilty to theft. The court heard £6,000 had disappeared from the couple's bedroom, but Hannah insisted she had only stolen £2,000, which she produced after being confronted by her manager.
She was dismissed from her job and allowed to return home. Several days later, police searched her property but did not find the missing £4,000, and no suspicious deposits were made into her bank accounts. This was disputed by the crown, but her claims were accepted at a hearing after magistrates decided the amount stolen would not make a “material difference” to her sentence.
She was given six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and 20 rehabilitation days, and ordered to pay the Shwenns £1,000 compensation. John, a former army man and great-grandad of 17, told the ECHO: "You can imagine how it was. It was a terrible shock.
We trusted this girl. We were good to her. We gave her a new evening dress and a beautiful top and blouse just a few days before it happened.
"I get a vitamin injection every two months, and we thought it would be a good idea to get it the day before the cruise. My son had made arrangements, so we left Olivia in the room with Christina on her own. We were away 25 minutes, that's all.
When I got back, the carer had gone. You have to understand we allow these carers to come to our house. They're like part of the family.
So I felt happy to leave her and get the injection. "I came up to the room straight away. My bedroom drawer, where the money was kept, was open.
I looked in the drawer and £6,000 was taken. I can't tell you how I felt. I nearly went through the roof.
I felt I wouldn't trust anyone in my life again. All the faith and trust you have in people just drained out of me." John and his son immediately phoned Hannah's employer, Warrington-based Premier Care, and the police.
He said he later received a visit from two Premier Care managers who returned the £2,000 they had retrieved from Hannah - but £4,000 remained unaccounted for. He said: "The argument the defence put up was that it wouldn't matter if she stole £500 or £10,000, the sentence would be much the same. So we never had the chance to prove there was even £6,000 there.
It's been so stressful, it's hard to describe. The stress and the trust that has been lost, even to carers that we like and love. I won't leave the room while they're here now.
"The whole business has really hit me. We're still astounded that the court didn't hear what we had to say, didn't hear our evidence of the £6,000. We cant believe it.
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