A CARER who stole more than £17,000 from a vulnerable Worcester woman has avoided an immediate jail term by paying back the money from a £150,000 inheritance.

Recorder Tom Crowther suspended a 12-month prison sentence on June Llewellyn for two years at Worcester Crown Court.

However, he ordered 49-year-old Llewellyn, of Cyril Road, Rainbow Hill, Worcester, to do 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,200 costs within a year.

He said Llewellyn had shown selfishness on a grand scale by cheating Doreen Smith, of Morris Avenue, out of £17,475 during the four years she had worked for her.

Llewellyn pleaded guilty at a previous court hearing to two counts of theft from Mrs Smith, who died recently at the age of 93.

Prosecutor Jason Aris said the family estate had been reimbursed in full.

Mrs Smith, who was partially sighted, hard of hearing and unable to walk without a frame, had taken on Llewellyn, who responded to an advert in a shop window.

The recorder said the offences came to light when a new carer took over.

There was a regular surplus of income for Mrs Smith but Llewellyn told her there was insufficient to meet her needs.

Mrs Smith had taken out equity on her home and Llewellyn had taken excessive sums, sometimes up to £500 a week.

Llewellyn had claimed she wanted the money to move from an area where neighbours had been anti-social but the recorder pointed out she had spent £14,000 on a new car.

He said Llewellyn was totally unsuitable to take up a similar position again.

But the probation report revealed she had obtained a new position, even though her employers knew of the breach of trust and the constant “leeching” from Mrs Smith.

The recorder said: “She went to her death knowing you cheated her but by chance you have received an inheritance which has been used to make voluntary repayment to Mrs Smith’s estate.”

Llewellyn, a mother-of-three who was on benefits when she was looking after Mrs Smith, will be supervised by the probation service for a year.