Social worker sentenced after stealing £10,000 in “appalling abuse of position”
After his social care was stopped, she continued to visit him weekly without any authority
A social worker who stole £10,000 from a man she had met when he was a client – in what police described as an “appalling abuse of position” – has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
Tabitha Hall was a senior social worker, responsible for managing supervisors who run social workers in the north of the county.
As part of that role, she worked with the victim when he was a client. After his social care was stopped, she continued to visit him weekly without any authority.
The man then employed a personal assistant to help him and he told her that Hall had taken two separate amounts of £5,000 from his bank account and transferred it to hers.
An investigation was subsequently launched, with Hall being suspended from her role. Police were called and in an interview, Hall told officers that she continued to see the man as his unofficial social worker and friend.
She said the first £5,000 that she had taken was to pay for her child’s new boiler and the second was because her debt was getting out of hand so she asked to extend the ‘loan’.
In a victim impact statement, the man said: “I am struggling to sleep due to this happening to me and my anxiety level is now very high. I trusted her and she was my friend. She has let me down and betrayed me.”
Hall, 42, of Springbank Road, Chesterfield, was subsequently charged with fraud by abuse of position. She admitted the charge and appeared at Derby Crown Court for sentence on July 17, where she was jailed for 12 months, with her sentence suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to carry out unpaid work, given a rehabilitation activity requirement and must pay compensation of £1,000.
PC Peter Herrett, who led the investigation, said: “This was an appalling abuse of position and breach of trust by Hall, who should never have taken this money.
“Despite claiming it was a loan, she clearly had no intention of ever paying it back, as she had received a large sum of inheritance yet didn’t make any attempt to return the money she had taken.
“Understandably this has had a devastating effect on this man, who not only saw her as a professional person he could respect, but as a friend.
“Thankfully he has since had his money back from the bank, but I know the impact of this will continue to affect him for some time to come.”