Rahma Ali: Carer planned to burgle vulnerable Sheffield OAP's home while he was in hospital as act of revenge

A callous carer set out to burgle the Sheffield home of a vulnerable pensioner with dementia, as he was receiving treatment in hospital in an act of 'revenge'.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how in the days running up to the offence being committed on July 30, defendant, Rahma Ali, was suspended from the care company she was employed by, as part of an ongoing 'dispute'.

The judge - Recorder Mark Giuliani - told Ali that owing to the time she had spent caring for the 79-year-old complainant she 'would have known he was an extremely vulnerable person with dementia'.

Ali was also aware that the complainant was an in-patient at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital at the time of the offence, the court heard.

Recorder Giuliani continued: "You knew the code to the key safe in order to enter his home...I accept that as an act of revenge for the company suspending you, you decided to burgle this man's home."

"At 8.12pm you went to his home, unaware that the Ring doorbell would alert his daughter that you were at his home."

Recorder Giuliani said Ali could be seen wearing a 'mask and gloves' despite it being the 'middle of summer'; adding that he was 'satisfied' that Ali chose to wear the mask in a bid to 'disguise' her face.

He also told a hearing held on February 12, 2024 that Ali could be seen looking through windows at the Stocksbridge property, which, he said, he viewed as Ali making efforts to 'check' it was empty.

Prosecutor, Stephanie Hollis, said that after the complainant's daughter saw Ali at her father's property on the Ring doorbell, knowing he was in hospital and a carer should not be visiting, she raised the alarm with family members who began calling his landline telephone number.

Recorder Giuliani told the court that upon hearing the telephone ring, Ali 'left without stealing anything'.

Ms Hollis said Ali is believed to have been in the property for around 60 seconds, and when she left the complainant's daughter 'shouted' at Ali 'asking what she was doing at the address'.

"The defendant didn't answer, and instead hurried away from the property," Ms Hollis said.

Ali, aged 26, was subsequently identified as the person captured entering the property on the Ring doorbell by her manager at the care company, Ms Hollis said.

During her police interview, Ali claimed that she had been at the property as part of her caring responsibilities and she denied hearing, and ignoring, the complainant's daughter speaking to her through the Ring doorbell, the court heard.

Ali, of De La Salle Drive, Pitsmoor, Sheffield, acknowledged her wrongdoing, however, when she subsequently pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary of a dwelling, with intent to steal.

Defending, Zaiban Alam said Ali 'can't comprehend' why she carried out the offence, that 'it's embarrassing' and something which causes her to 'feel a lot of shame'. 

Ms Alam acknowledged that Ali may not have appeared to take responsibility for the offence to the author of her pre-sentence report; but she said the assessment was carried out over the telephone and not in person, meaning that it was not possible for as fulsome a report to be prepared. She suggested that a guilty plea was ‘the most sincere form of’ acknowledging, and taking responsibility for, her offending.  

Ms Alam said Ali has spent most of her life caring for her mother, who is a wheelchair user, and she is extremely reliant upon the defendant. 

“Her mother has considerable health issues and paralysis on one side of her body,” Ms Alam said. 

She also suggested to Recorder Giuliani that the fact she was someone with a clean criminal record for the first 26 years of her life, until carrying out the offence, means Ali is someone with a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. 

Recorder Giuliani sentenced Ali to 15 months’ imprisonment, but said he felt able to suspend it for two years after judging her to have a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. 

He also made Ali the subject of an order, which prohibits her from working with, or caring for, vulnerable adults or children - with the exception of her mother - for the next six years.  

Ali was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.