A care worker from Penygroes used the debit card of an 87-year-old resident to book a holiday in Benidorm.

Felicity Dorothy Jones, aged 41, was described by the woman’s husband as a “disgrace to humanity”.

Swansea crown court heard how Helga Louise Jones booked into the Llanfair Grange residential care home, near Llandovery, while her husband Edward, 88, went into hospital.

Ian Ibrahim, prosecuting, said she suffered from dementia and did not want to stay at home while her husband was away.

After returning home they noticed a £353 spend with Travel Republic on her HSBC account.

Mr Ibrahim said a police investigation showed that Jones, of Gorsddu Terrace, had had access to Mrs Jones personal belongings and had booked a holiday for her and her partner Michael Hayes for the following month using the resident’s debit card.

The investigation showed she had also used a similar method to take £115 from the Post Office account of 76 year old John Roderick Williams, another resident.

Mr Ibrahim said that in a victim impact statement Mr Jones had said, “I am very disappointed. A residential home should be a place of safety for vulnerable people. In my opinion she is a disgrace to humanity.”

Judge Peter Heywood said Mr Jones had been “precise” in his choice of words.

“It does not get much lower than this,” he added.

Robin Rouch, Jones’ barrister, said she now had a completely different type of employment.

Judge Heywood told Jones, “This is theft and a breach of trust, stealing from someone with dementia.”

He said the care home system depended entirely on trust.

Jones admitted theft and fraud.

She was jailed for eight months, suspended for 18 months, and placed under supervision for 12 months.

Jones was also ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work for the community and to pay a total of £468 in compensation.