Force responsible for policing Pembrokeshire criticised after an officer understated the amount stolen from a vulnerable care-home resident

A JUDGE has ordered a review by Dyfed-Powys Police after an error in calculating the value of fraudulent cheques left almost £4,000 missing from the compensation sought for an elderly victim.

Although the offences took place at a care home in Llanelli, the criticism concerns Dyfed-Powys Police, which is responsible for policing Pembrokeshire as well as Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Claire Harding, 34, and Kelly Jones, 45, stole £31,912 from 89-year-old William Jones while working in senior positions at the Haven care home.

Harding was the home’s manager, while Jones was the assistant manager.

The victim, who had experienced a mini-stroke and had difficulty writing, would sign blank or partly completed cheques intended to cover his care fees. The women had offered to complete the remaining details for him, but ten cheques were instead used to take money for themselves.

However, the fraud charge put before the court stated that £28,000 had been stolen, rather than the correct total of £31,912.

The court was told that a Dyfed-Powys Police officer had incorrectly added together the value of the ten cheques, creating a £3,912 shortfall.

The mistake emerged shortly before sentencing after the defendants had already repaid the £28,000 figure contained in the charge.

Prosecutor Harry Dickens asked the court to order each woman to pay a further £1,956 to make up the difference. Both agreed to pay the outstanding amounts.

Judge Huw Rees strongly criticised the police handling of the financial evidence and questioned how such a basic error had occurred in a serious fraud investigation involving only ten cheques.

He described the situation as “absolutely disgraceful” and said Dyfed-Powys Police needed to improve its handling of such cases. He also raised concerns about the length of the investigation, which had taken almost two years to reach court.

The judge requested a formal review into how the mistake was made.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the matter was being examined following the judge’s request and that a response would be provided after the findings had been presented to the court.

The fraud began in around March 2024, only a few months after Mr Jones had moved into the home.

The offending was uncovered later that year when his bank contacted him about an unrelated cheque issue and raised concerns about a number of payments made to Kelly Jones.

Mr Jones then contacted a friend, who alerted the care home. Both women subsequently lost their jobs and admitted fraud.

The court heard that Harding had worked at the home for 13 years, while Jones had been employed there for around a year.

Lawyers representing the women said they were ashamed of their actions and had faced significant personal and financial difficulties. Harding had no previous convictions, while Jones had four previous offences connected to an aggravated vehicle-taking case in 2007.

Judge Rees said the victim had been treated appallingly by people who had been trusted to care for him.

Harding, of Caroline Street, Llanelli, and Jones, of Cedric Street, Llanelli, were each sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

They were also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.

The case has wider relevance across west and mid Wales because Dyfed-Powys Police serves one of the largest geographical policing areas in England and Wales, including the whole of Pembrokeshire.