‘Heartbroken’ great-gran Olive never recovered after trusted carer stole thousands from her bank account

A grieving daughter has spoken of her heartbreak as a thieving carer, who ripped off her elderly mum, faces sentencing at Preston Crown Court.

Great-grandmother Olive Davies, from Leyland, put her trust in carer Martina Adams, who had been her home help for around a decade, and even regarded her as one of the family.

But unknown to the pensioner, Adams was helping herself to cash withdrawals from her bank account, amounting to thousands of pounds.

The heartbroken OAP’s health rapidly declined after the shocking discovery and she had to, against her wishes, have a social services package of care, with different people coming in four times a day.

Her distraught family say she was never the same again and she died just a few months after the trauma.

Adams, 49, of Seven Stars Road, Leyland, has pleaded guilty to theft and Preston magistrates committed her to the crown court to be sentenced.

However, she now disputes the amount she stole meaning a trial of issue will have to take place in order for the court to agree the exact amount.

Today Olive’s daughter, Christine Heald, 58, spoke of their ongoing heartache.

She said: “ Later in life mum had a home help - Adams’ mum - to clean for her one day a week. After a number of years she retired so her daughter, Martina Adams, took over. She worked for mum for several years.

“Mum thought the world of her and treated her really well, thinking of her more like family.

“At beginning of June 2018, I checked mum’s bank statement because I was waiting for a refund from her gas and electricity supplier. There were many withdrawals, £200 and 300 pounds at a time.

“But Mum had been housebound for about three years.

“We then checked previous statements and found this had been going on for some time.

“I rang Martina and asked for breakdown of mum’s shopping and other things and she said she’d sort it. “

The following Tuesday, Christine received a call from the carer’s mum, telling her Martina had admitted to stealing money.

She added: “ After work I went to Mum’s and had to explain what had happened. She was heartbroken.

“Within weeks she was taken ill and needed a pacemaker. She was never the same again.

“She died with her family by her side in hospital on March 28.

“Martina Adams made my mum’s last year miserable, and as a family we will never forgive her.”

Olive was brought up in Leyland and Preston, and married her first husband at the age of 21. She remarried again in her 50s, but lost her husband Tommy eight years later. She worked at various jobs until she took redundancy from the Royal Ordnance factory.

• The trial is set to take place at a later date.