Jail for Devon carer who spent £75,000 of vulnerable patient's savings

A carer from North Devon convicted of spending £75,000 of a vulnerable pensioner's savings on shopping trips and expensive haircuts has been jailed for two and a half years.

Melanie Harris was entrusted to look after the finances of Edward Carter but used his debit card to plunder his savings.

When investigators looked through the transactions they found evidence of spending at a home decoration shop, multiple visits to a Barnstaple hairdresser, and purchases from shops such as fashion retailer Fat Face and Amazon.

The company for which she was a care team leader were alerted by another member of staff who spotted unusual items paid for out of the Carter's bank account.

Mr Carter died in hospital in May 2015.