Caregiver of disabled man admits thefts

A woman who stole thousands of dollars from the disabled man she was taking care of will be sentenced next month.

Klazina Ann Hedges was the caregiver of a 65-year-old paraplegic, but left the rest home resident with a $4200 debt for his accommodation last year.

The man, who was confined to his bed and only occasionally got into a wheelchair, trusted Hedges with his bank card, but discovered she had been withdrawing money on and off for about a year.

"She took thousands out of my account. The benefit that was being paid in regularly, she simply took it out," he told the Chronicle.

None of the money was paid to the rest home, leaving the man in debt.

The man's limited mobility meant he gave Hedges his bank card so she could pay his bills. As a precaution, another woman had the pin number so one could not use the card without the other. The arrangement was that he would see any bills and okay payment.

"But then she stood over my friend [who had the pin number] and got that off her. That gave her free access to my money," he said.

She had unfettered access to his bank account from July 2013 until the middle of May last year when access was stopped after the rest home manager asked the man why his account had not been paid.

Hedges pleaded guilty in the Whanganui District Court last week to using a document for pecuniary advantage. She is on a benefit while her husband is on a pension, the court heard.

She has been remanded for sentence to June 29 when a final figure on how much money she stole will be given. She is repaying the money at $20 a fortnight.