At Laganside Crown Court, 47-year-old Nicola Beattie, from Craigavon, was sentenced to two years and two months for fraud by abuse of position.

She will serve half the term in custody and the remainder on licence.

The victim, who has since died, was a vulnerable adult living in sheltered accommodation and receiving home care. In summer 2017, Beattie, his allocated carer, was given access to his debit card to cover groceries, cleaning and household bills. In 2022, the man's daughter discovered his bank balance had fallen to £21.59 by the end of 2021, with an estimated £30,148.68 unaccounted for. A joint Police and Social Services investigation followed, and Beattie was reported for fraud.

Detective Inspector Jane McCallum said: "This was a calculated abuse of trust in which the defendant exploited her position to take advantage of a vulnerable man for her own financial gain.

"She was entrusted to act in his best interests, but instead abused that trust and fraudulently obtained more than £30,000 from him. Her actions represent a significant betrayal of someone who was vulnerable and should have been protected from harm.

"Fraud of this nature goes far beyond the financial loss. It can have a profound and lasting emotional impact, particularly where an offender has deliberately exploited a position of trust."