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Nurse stole from elderly hospital patients
This thieving nurse stole cash and jewellery from seriously ill pensioners on her ward at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Azeneth Tan helped herself to one patient's bank card and withdrew 900 from her account over a week, even after her death.
The Filipino-national also took a diamond and gold ring from another elderly woman.
The thefts were uncovered after her first victim, 87-year-old Alice Beattie, died from pneumonia.
When grieving son David went to close her account at Lloyds TSB in Houghton, bank staff told him 900 was missing. Checks revealed the money was taken over three dates in November.
CCTV images showed Tan making two of the withdrawals from a cashpoint in hospital grounds. Tan, 31, admitted five charges of theft at Sunderland Magistrates' Court.
Prosecutor Keith Laidlaw said staff nurse Tan also stole from Elsie Hindmarch, 87, who was admitted to hospital after suffering a mild stroke.
Tan, who started at the Royal in 2005 but is no longer employed there, took three rings from the pensioner but only logged two on admission records.
She handed over the ring and bank card after her arrest, revealing 600 lay untouched in a bank account and the rest was in her home at Franklin Street, Millfield.
Tan told police: "I want to stop working, but my husband will get angry because we have debts to pay and family to support in the Philippines. I just want a simple life."
Asked about the ring, she said: "It would have been there until someone noticed. I would have contacted her son, but I did not know what to say."
Defence solicitor Alan Samuels said Tan, who is now pregnant, was suffering from a personality disorder.
He said a psychiatrist's report revealed the thefts were a cry for help.
"The vast bulk of offences coming before this court are people stealing for financial reasons.
"They might have problems underneath it, like a gambling problem, but in this case there was not a pecuniary reason for this offence."
He added: "The money was withdrawn outside the hospital on evenings she worked.
"She did not try to dispose of the card or the ring. The money was returned and not spent.
"Another troublesome feature of this case is that these are vulnerable victims.
"The vast majority of the people she was dealing with were elderly.
"She is not someone who has gone out and targeted elderly, vulnerable victims, but there are clearly people in society who do that."
He said Tan did not know Mrs Beattie had died, as she had been transferred to another ward.
Chairman of the bench John Pearson adjourned the case for probation service reports.
Tan was released on conditional bail and her passport must remain surrendered to police.
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Weather for Sunderland
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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