An elderly woman tragically died before seeing her carer brought to justice after stealing cash from her purse.
Georgina Crookes received regular visits from carer Julie Jones after her family felt she needed additional support around her home in Cherry Willingham, near Lincoln.
But just a year after hiring Jones, who was working for Sagecare at the time, Georgina’s family became suspicious that she had been stealing from her.
They decided to set up a hidden camera to try and catch Jones in the act, shortly after £30 mysteriously disappeared from the beloved grandmother’s purse.
To their dismay, the family’s hunch turned out to be right, as they later caught the thieving carer red handed, reaching into Georgina’s handbag as her back was turned, before appearing to pull something out.
The family estimated that around £200 had gone missing from the pensioner’s purse between July and September 1, 2023, when Jones was arrested.
Jones, of Waddington, pleaded guilty on March 4, 2025 at Lincoln Crown Court to theft from the person of another. She was released on bail and is due to be sentenced on May 1, 2025.
However, Georgina was unable to see the criminal brought to justice, as she tragically passed away at 81 years old on April 4, 2024.
Georgina Crookes is seen celebrating her 80th birthday, She tragically died before seeing her thieving carer brought to justice after stealing cash from her purse
Carer Julie Jones was red handed, reaching into Georgina’s handbag as her back was turned, before appearing to pull something out
Georgina’s daughter, Lynn Prescott, expressed her dismay after being unable to spend her mother’s final months with her.
Lynn said : ‘Mum was one of the kindest people who would help anyone, so the whole family were angry that she had been taken advantage of, especially as Julie did not know mum’s financial position, and obviously did not care.
‘It makes it worse to think we trusted her and she was paid to look after mum but was not doing that.
‘We did change care providers from Sagecare to Amber Care following this incident and only then realised what proper care was.’
Lynn added: ‘Mum was placed under palliative care in January 2024, and had Julie pleaded guilty at magistrates beforehand, instead of dragging out the process for us as a family to ultimately plead guilty at the [outset of the] trial, we would have had more time with mum rather than leaving her to go to court.
‘She unfortunately died not knowing the outcome as a result of Julie not pleading guilty in the first instance.’
The ordeal began in 2022, when the family organised care for Georgina through the council as she needed some additional support.
Georgina’s granddaughter in law, Rachel Prescott, explained that the family only realised something was wrong when they considered moving Georgina into a care home.
Jones is pictured on footage from a hidden camera, which the family set up shortly after £30 mysteriously disappeared from the beloved grandmother’s purse
She said: ‘She was about to go into a care home as we felt she wasn’t coping at home. We felt she had a lot of money going and the care initially wasn’t very good and we felt that she should stay in a home.
‘You know what older people are like, she loved to have money in her purse, but she was having like £200 every few weeks.’
Ahead of her going into the home the family put £45 in Georgina’s purse but the following day there was only £5 left. It was at this point they grew suspicious and installed cameras.
Rachel said: ‘We had started doing checks and got a camera in the house and that is when we caught the carer.
‘We thought [Georgina] was suffering from dementia and that she wasn’t looking after herself very well but it was this one carer.’
Rachel added: ‘In the video footage she wasn’t looking around the room for any cameras or anything like that. You would have thought she would have been a bit more wary, so I think she had been doing it for a long time.
‘The saddest thing is when Georgina talked to the police she said she thought Julie was her friend, she was really shocked when we told her it was her.’
Lynn added: ‘It was heartbreaking to watch, on camera, Julie taking my mum’s purse out of her handbag directly behind her. It made me realise just how vulnerable mum was.
‘When I told her we had caught the person stealing her money and who it was she just cried and said she felt a fool as she thought she was her friend. I don’t think she ever got over it.’
Lincolnshire Police provided a statement from the officer in the case, which read: ‘This has been a challenging and lengthy case. The case was dragged out for so long by the defendant persistently denying theft until changing her plea at the last hour at Crown Court.
‘This has been particularly traumatic for the family involved, especially given the victim of this crime unfortunately passed away before justice was served and our thoughts are with them all.
Georgina was provided with support from Sagecare through Lincolnshire County Council.
Martin Samuels, executive director of adult care and community wellbeing, said: ‘The safety and wellbeing of those receiving care is a priority for the council, and our providers are required to carry out appropriate pre-employment checks.
‘In this instance, there was nothing to suggest any inappropriate behaviour in the past. As soon as the care provider became aware of the family’s concerns, they reported the matter to us and took immediate action to safeguard those in their care.
‘The individual was removed from all duties and did not return to work. We hope the family can find some reassurance in seeing justice done.’
A Sagecare spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the events involving Julie Jones and the impact this has had on Georgina Crookes and her family. Julie Jones passed all relevant background checks and compliance requirements before joining our team.
‘As soon as we were made aware of the allegations, we launched an internal investigation, and Julie was immediately dismissed from her role.
‘We welcome the conclusion of legal proceedings and hope this brings some closure to the Crookes family.
‘Our thoughts remain with them during this difficult time.’
