The brother of a vulnerable woman preyed on by a devious carer who stole thousands of pounds says he feels justice has not been served after she avoided jail and was ordered to pay back just £1.

Over a four-month period in 2020, Gemma Day, from Sheerness, and an accomplice raided the funds of Sittingbourne residents Ann and Dennis Baldock – pocketing £12,170 between them.

After avoiding an immediate jail sentence, Day was ordered to pay back £1.

Now Ann’s brother, Michael Trower, says justice has not been done for his sister and her husband.

The 79-year-old, from Faversham, said: “She’s not done bad out of the situation has she?

“Stealing all that money from my sister and Dennis wasn’t bad business for her. She probably said she spent that money and due to her having four children the judge only ruled for her to pay back a pound.

“But who’s to say she hasn’t stashed that £12,000? It is like she’s got away with murder – she pinched a load of money for nothing.”

Dennis, who was 84, died from aspiration pneumonia and dementia on September 12 last year.

Ann, 82, is now living at a care home in Sittingbourne. She also has dementia.

Her’s and Dennis’s health was the reason Day had access to their bank in the first place.

Michael said: “I was helping Ann with some paperwork two years ago.

“As I got to her bank statements I went to move them onto another pile but the out column caught my eye – it was full of £250 withdrawals.

“I said ‘Ann what’s this all about then?’ and of course she didn’t know what I meant because of her dementia.

“I could see on the statement that it said an ATM withdrawal so I questioned Ann again and she told me she didn’t even know what an ATM was.

“At that point Dennis had been bed bound for a couple of weeks so I knew the column full of the withdrawn money couldn’t have been either of them.”

After suspecting something serious was going on, Michael went to Ann’s bank, stopped her card and then visited Sittingbourne police station where he reported the missing money.

Ann and Dennis’s family were told by police that after the trial had gone to court they would get their money back. Michael still hasn’t seen a penny of it.

He said: “Dennis and Ann had carers because they needed them.

“Ann would open letters and not realise she had, she wouldn’t eat properly without help and Gemma Day took advantage of that.

“Because Dennis was bed bound the home was in a poor condition as well, but the carers did nothing, just used their card.”

Before they got ill, Michael described the couple as keeping themselves to themselves. They had no children.

He added: “Ann is doing better at the care home, however I haven’t seen her for six weeks as there has been a virus in the home.

“I don’t think Ann realises what Gemma Day has done. She didn’t have a clue. It still hasn’t sunk in.

“I never saw Gemma and the other carers for long. The other carers must have seen the state of the place but it was never reported.”

Michael still recalls the disbelief he felt when he saw the bank statements.

He said: “The care industry must be rife with cases like my family’s, you would just never know or find out.

“That money that Gemma Day stole would have paid for Ann’s care home stay. Now that is down to the taxpayer.

“But I guess as she has four children if she did get sent to prison her kids would have to go to care and that would be on the taxpayer, so it is a spiral.

“It was a difficult decision for the judge. But with people like Gemma Day, do they care?

“If I hadn’t spotted the bank statements, if I hadn’t seen it I may have never have found out. She could still be doing it.”

When questioned, Day revealed she visited the couple even when she was not scheduled to work, just to steal more money.

David Patience, defending at the original hearing, said Day admitted taking £6,000 and the rest she claimed was pilfered by another employee, who has not faced charges.

He said: “She is full of deep regret and remorse for her actions.

"She takes full responsibility for her part and understands the devastating effects it has had on the couple.

“To say her coming in front of a court has devastated her life is something of a gross understatement,” he added.

Mr Patience added that she began taking small amounts but “it just snowballed” and now she would no longer be able to work in care, “a job she loved”, the court was told.

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