A care at home support worker took control of a service user’s bank account in order to finance her online gambling activities.
Lorna Allardyce, who worked in Ayr, put multiple payments into her victim’s account between, on or around, October 6, 2020 and on or around March 20, 2021, according to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
The payments included multiple ones totalling £7,100 from the online gambling website Rainbow Riches.
There was also a payment of £100 from the online gambling website Paddy Power.
Added to those payments were multiple ones totalling £400 from the online gambling website Tombola.
It was further discovered that Allardyce, between on or around October 6, 2020 and on or around March 23, 2021, used the service user’s bank card to make multiple payments to various online gambling websites.
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The payments included £2,342 to Rainbow Riches, £1,200 to Paddy Power, £120 to Stars, £200 to 21.co.uk, £780 to Tombola and £60 to Ladbrokes.
Then, on unknown dates, between on or around 11 August 2020 and on or around 15 March 2021, she attend with the service user, known only as ‘AA,’ to make several cash withdrawals of around £250.
The withdrawals totalled an unknown amount from the vulnerable service user’s bank account for Allardyce’s “personal use.”
Allardyce, who worked as housing support officer for Ardgowan Properties Ltd, in Ayr, has now been struck off.
The industry regulator labelled her “dishonest” and accused her of an ‘abuse of trust.’
The SSSC told Allardyce in their report: “You have used a vulnerable service user’s bank account, accessible to you only as a result of your position as a social services worker. This demonstrates a disregard for the trust placed in you by your employer and the wider public as a registered social services worker.
“Your behaviour is dishonest which is very difficult to remediate.”
The SSSC also said Allardyce showed limited insight “if any,” into the seriousness of her actions and that she “failed to demonstrate” any steps she would have taken to remediate her actions, or “offer an explanation” for her behaviour.
The report goes on: “Due to this, and the sustained repetitive nature of your (Allardyce’s) actions, the SSSC and the wider public cannot be assured that the behaviour will not be repeated should you be allowed to return to work in social services.”
The regulator took the decision to strike Allardyce’s name from their register and deemed her ‘risk’ to the public as “ongoing.”
The SSSC also said Allardyce’s behaviour resulted in “considerable emotional harm” to the service user concerned.
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