Brave disabled theft victim sees carer sentenced

Glenis Rhead, 41, of Ruskin Road, Worthing, was working as Katy Montgomery’s carer in December last year when she breached her position of trust to steal a £420 iPad.

Rhead, who had already been sentenced last month for stealing a further £200 from Miss Montgomery, sobbed in court as she was sentenced to a four-week curfew order,following her guilty plea.

But it was her victim’s tears which struck a chord with magistrates as prosecutor Gaynor Byng read Miss Montgomery’s impact statement at Worthing Magistrates’ Court.

It read: “After what happened I couldn’t trust anyone – my family, friends or carers – and I didn’t want anything to do with anyone.

“I rely on my carers and I didn’t even want to look at them.

“When I get upset, because of my cerebal palsy, it affects my muscles and causes me lots of pain.

“I couldn’t sleep at night.”

Speaking after the sentence, Miss Montgomery, of Beachcroft Place, Lancing, and her parents Hugh and Trish, said they felt the punishment was not severe enough.

Miss Montgomery said: “It was disgusting and it took me a long time to accept that it was her.

“I want to do a sponsored swim or something now to get back all the money I lost.”

Mrs Montgomery said the family wanted to put the experience behind them.

She said: “It was such a disappointment that anybody could do this. You have to be a bad person to do that.

“Katy is a lovely person and does everything she can for other people. She didn’t deserve this.”

Rhead had worked as her victim’s carer for 13 months and was initially arrested after Miss Montgomery noticed her money had gone missing.

But she later realised her iPad was also gone.

The court heard that the iPad was used for Miss Montgomery’s university course and the stress caused her to fail a module. It was later found in Rhead’s house.

David Clark, defending, said Rhead was previously of good character and urged the offence be ‘put into perspective’.

He said she had been in an abusive relationship, had a child with special needs, suffered from depression and was extremely remorseful.

She was sentenced to a community order, with a four- week curfew and told to pay £100 compensation.

For the other thefts, Rhead had been given community service, curfew and told to pay compensation.