UK court jails Nigerian woman for stealing £20,000

Akinremi, 41, was said to have abused her position as an administrator at the facility in Bostall House in Abbey Wood, Old Bailey, in South East London, and made dozens of unauthorised withdrawals from the bank account of patients.

The presiding judge, Angela Rafferty KC was quoted by Yahoo News as saying, “This was a repeated and planned course of conduct, and a very serious breach of trust of vulnerable people,” while addressing Akinremi in court before sentencing her to seven months in prison.

“They are not allowed to leave Bostall House without a member of staff or a family member. Some have their financial affairs looked after by the home.”

Investigations into Akinremi’s fraudulent activities dated back to November 2018, when £43,000 was missing from residents’ bank accounts, including £32,000 from one victim.

Akinremi had denied the allegations until the first day of her trial, insisting that other staff at the home were trying to “pin the blame” on her.

She however admitted taking £19,650 over the course of eight months from three residents, adding that others at the home were also involved in wrongdoing.

Akinremi then pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud by abuse of position, while Judge Rafferty rejected a plea for a suspended prison sentence, concluding only an immediate spell behind bars would be appropriate.