A CARE home manager used money she stole from residents to pay off her own debts and feed a gambling habit, a court heard.

Angela Johnson, 48, took more than £11,000 while in charge of Cartmel Old Grammar. Having become addicted to a gambling website, she hoped to pay the money back with "one big win".

However, that success did not materialise and she was arrested by police when her crimes were discovered.

Johnson, a former West Yorkshire police employee, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court having previously pleaded guilty to three counts of theft. She was given a 12-month prison term, but this was suspended for two years.

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Roger Baldwin, prosecuting, said the total amount stolen by Johnson was £11,250.
For 21 years she had worked in the West Yorkshire police control room before taking redundancy to look after her father.

Johnson was employed by Mary Rush Care Homes (North West) Limited as an acting manager by Susan Bilsland. Mrs Bilsland had originally appointed Johnson to run a site she ran in Lancashire through another company.

After Johnson was promoted to general manager of Cartmel Old Grammar in January, 2014, Mrs Bilsland carried out a spot check of its accounts. This was to calculate trade projections for the coming months.

However, she discovered that one resident at the home on a short-term basis had outstanding fees of almost £11,000. Johnson was asked about the matter and said the resident's daughter was planning to pay once a property in London was sold.

An invoice was sent to the daughter by Mrs Bilsland, who received a "strongly worded" email in reply which stated that £9,200 had been paid. This was in the form of cheques "directly to the manager", who had requested the payee details be left blank. Further money had been taken from the relatives of two other care home residents.

Johnson was tackled about the matter by email before going on a week's holiday from which she did not return.

Following her arrest, she told police in an interview that she had run up a "large amount of personal debt - so large she did not know how much it was", said Mr Baldwin.

Johnson also confessed she was addicted to an online gambling game on which she spent "all her income".

"Eventually her addiction grew to such an extent she began stealing money which relatives of residents at the home had been paying for their care," said Mr. Baldwin.

Johnson's husband was not aware of what had been happening, the court was told. She had walked to his bank, paid cheques into his account and then transferred money into hers.

"She concluded her interview by saying: 'Oh God, I am so ashamed. If I could pay every penny back I really would. I kept thinking if I win I will repay the money," said Mr. Baldwin.

He added: "The big win never happened. The money was never repaid."

Chris Evans, defending, said Johnson had found herself in "dire financial circumstances". "She became rather deluded, through gambling, that she could improve things," he said.

Johnson was "deeply ashamed" by what she had done. "She began working at the care home when the rating was poor from the Care Quality Commission. Through her own endeavours she turned it around to a rating just short of excellent," added Mr. Evans.

The court heard the money stolen had been recovered from an insurance company.

Judge Barbara Forrester told Johnson, of Highfield Road, Grange-over-Sands, she was guilty of a "breach of a high degree of trust".

She must complete 200 hours of unpaid work. She must also pay £500 compensation in respect of the excess paid to the insurance company, and a £100 victim surcharge.