A carer who emptied an 80-year-old pensioner’s bank account, stealing more than £5,000, has been jailed for four months.

Peter James Heselwood pleaded guilty to the theft charge and was ordered to pay back the money at a rate of £20 per week.

Prosecuting advocate Rebecca Cubbon told the court that Heselwood was running a company called Smiley’s People, offering care at home.

The victim in the case said that she had been using the company for five years.

She said that she would give a carer her bank card and a shopping list.

In 2022, Heselwood had started doing her shopping, which usually only involved a few items and cost around £20 per week.

However, between June 24 and July 26, the 51-year-old used the card for his own purposes.

He bought a laptop from Currys for £429 and also took money from cash machines and via cashback in shops.

The woman had to go into hospital twice and Heselwood agreed to look after her home.

He also used the card to purchase a domain name for a business for £40.

In August 2022, the woman found that her bank account was empty, with a total of £5,637 being taken.

When she told Heselwood she had no money, he offered to buy her some shopping.

However, the next day he returned and told her he had taken the money, asking her if he could have two weeks to pay it back.

The woman said she agreed to this but she never heard from him again.

Heselwood, who now lives at Cross Street in Ramsbottom in Bury, was arrested on October 6.

During a police interview, he admitted stealing the money, but claimed he had mixed up the woman’s bank card with his own as he said they had the same PIN number.

Heselwood told police that he had been using some of the money to pay staff in his company, but that it was all a mistake and he wanted to repay it.

A victim impact statement from the pensioner was read out in court.

She said of Heselwood: ‘I had trusted him with my care and I couldn’t believe what he had done.

‘He visited me in hospital while doing the deed.’

The woman said that she had ended up owing the bank money, due to being overdrawn, and had been shocked to receive a letter advising her of this.

She said that she couldn’t pay her rent but fortunately her landlord was a friend, and that she had even had to transfer money which had been put aside for her funeral.

The pensioner said: ‘I am disappointed in him. I feel constantly worried about trusting anyone and feel jumpy when people walk past my window.

‘His actions impacted my life and the excuse he told me was that he had mixed up the cards.

‘He was crying and I made him a cup of tea.

‘I don’t hate Peter Heselwood, something must have snapped in him.

‘My current care company has restored my faith in carers.’

Defence advocate David Reynolds said ‘It has had a significant impact. It is very sad she’s had to be put through this.’

Mr Reynolds referred to a letter regarding Heselwood’s mental and physical health, which said that he was suffering a number of difficulties in the lead-up to the offence.

The advocate said that the defendant had been in debt, was losing his home, and his relationship with his wife had ended, so his life was in a downward spiral.

Mr Reynolds said that Heselwood had moved to the island in 2016 and then taken over Smiley’s People, after working for it initially.

He said that his client had been providing care to the woman for some time before the offences were committed.

Mr Reynolds asked the court to suspend the sentence, saying that this would allow Heselwood to keep his new employment and pay back the money faster.

Magistrates made a compensation order for £5,000 which is the maximum that can be made in summary court.

Heselwood will start paying from October 27, at a rate of £20 per week.