A HEARTLESS carer who stole irreplaceable jewellery from an elderly vulnerable woman was caught out by CCTV installed by her daughter.

Susan Dawe had the camera equipment installed so she could ensure her 88-year-old mother was safe and well but was horrified when she saw Paul Goldthorpe rifling through her bedside drawers.

When he was arrested two days later he denied going into Nora Harding's bedroom but when he was confronted with the damning CCTV footage he was forced to admit he had gone in but denied taking anything. The lady died three days later.

The 22-year-old was due to stand trial denying the theft but at the last moment changed his plea to guilty and was told by a judge that his dishonest behaviour was "despicable".

The judge recorder Simon Medland said: "Carers have a huge degree of trust placed in them by the often frail and elderly patients who they look after and by the families of those patients and by their employers.

"You abused that in the most profound sense. We have seen the CCTV footage showing you pretending to leave the flat of this 88-year-old very unwell, frail lady but in fact sneaking off into her bedroom and filling your pockets with some of the few remaining items she had. Jewellery holds memories and it has now gone and you have never said what you have done with it."

He sentenced Goldthorpe to 18 months in prison suspended for 18 months and ordered him to carry out 250 hours unpaid work. he was also told to pay £500 towards prosecution costs.

Goldthorpe, from McMinnis Avenue in Parr worked for Mersey Care and pleaded guilty to stealing from his victim on January 8 this year at her home on Bleak Hill Road.

Martyn Walsh, defending, said that Goldthorpe had no previous convictions and is now unemployed.