A Maidstone carer stole almost £10,000 worth of jewellery and cash from her elderly clients.

When police searched Nicola Smyth’s Sandling home they discovered stolen items and also found traces of cocaine in several of her bags.

The 46-year-old, of Old Chatham Road, started working for Bluebird Care at the end of March but it wasn’t until July 1 that her offences came to light.

One lady contacted the agency to tell them £130 had gone missing from her handbag and she believed Smyth had taken it.

A number of similar incidents in the preceding months were then linked to the carer and she was charged with 11 counts of theft by employee.

Appearing at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court, a sobbing Smyth admitted possession of cocaine, the thefts and an additional charge of stealing a wallet containing £100 while on bail in September.

Deborah Jones, for the prosecution, read statements to the court in which one victim said she had been caused a great deal of stress by the theft of her grandparents’ jewellery and had passed out four times due to lack of sleep.

She said: “Having my jewellery stolen pretty much finished me off. I cannot believe a carer would do this.”

“Having my jewellery stolen pretty much finished me off. I cannot believe a carer would do this” - one of Smyth's victims

George Booth, another victim, said: “The jewellery she stole had been passed down by my family over 50 years. We invited her into our home and trusted her.”

On woman added she felt betrayed after giving Smyth supermarket vouchers and things for her children.

Another victim's purse containing a photo of her late husband and £100 was taken. It was later recovered minus the cash.

Mrs Jones told magistrates Smyth had sold many of the items to Gem Antiques and Pickwick Pawnbrokers in Maidstone and in total had taken £3,446 in cash and “well over” £5,000 of jewellery.

She asked the court to send the case to Maidstone Crown Court due to the severity of the offending.

John Roberts, defending, agreed with Mrs Jones’ view and as a result offered no mitigation.

Smyth was released on unconditional bail to be sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court at a date to be decided.

Bobby Pawar, director of Bluebird Care Maidstone, said: "The incidents of theft by Nicola Smyth were identified and swift action was taken. Working alongside Kent Police ensuring all customers were safeguarded. We took all required regulatory steps including informing the Care Quality Commission.

"Bluebird Care operates within extremely high regulatory standards. All employees are rigorously checked and routinely supervised to ensure we deliver the very highest standards of care.

"Having a full commitment and a duty of care it is of paramount importance to protect and safeguard both our staff and customers. To achieve this we adhere to Bluebird Care’s clear and stringent policies and procedures. We are also committed and accountable to the regulatory requirements of the Care Quality Commission and the Local Authority for Safeguarding.

"Bluebird Care Maidstone has cared for thousands of customers in the local area since February 2010 and the ex-employee is not representative of the brilliant work our care workers do on a day to day basis for our customers. Our Care Workers, exceptional in every way, are dedicated, caring and highly skilled.

"This matter is extremely rare and will not be tolerated by Bluebird Care. We remain working closely with the Police to continue to fully co-operate with their investigation and also with the Kent County Council Safeguarding Team.

"We continue to provide the very best care services and this was recognised at our last inspection in September 2016 when the inspector rated our Maidstone office as overall good."