A SENIOR care worker at a nursing home repeatedly used a bank card belonging to a 91-year-old resident without her permission.

Blackburn magistrates heard Ashley Jordan drew out cash, paid for shopping and bought an expensive mobile phone using the card.

The thefts came to light when there was insufficient money in the woman’s account to pay for her residential fees at the Oswaldtwistle home.

And the court was told the victim had been left ‘distraught’ by his actions and the consequences.

Jordan, 28, of Church Street, Church, pleaded guilty to seven charges of fraud by abuse of position at the White Ash Brook Care Home relating to the card belonging to Lily Temme and one similar offence belonging to another resident, Edward Taylor.

He was sent on bail to Preston Crown Court to be sentenced at a later date.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said when the shortfall in Mrs Temme’s account was discovered, she was taken to the bank where the unauthorised transactions were revealed.

More than £1,000 was missing from her account.

Miss Allan said: “She was distraught over this incident which caused her mental harm.

“The victim is extremely distressed every time this is mentioned. She was totally reliant on the honesty and integrity of the staff who worked there.”

Aftab Bakhat, defending, said his client accepted the offences were ‘distasteful in the extreme’.

He said: “This is a young man with no previous convictions who has pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and shown genuine remorse.

“People make mistakes and the one made by my client has already cost him his job and his good name.”