Harlow man Victor Brooks jailed for over two years for defrauding vulnerable people of over £14,000

A HARLOW man has been jailed for over two years for defrauding vulnerable people of over £14,000.

Victor Brooks, aged 64, of Longfield, Harlow was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday afternoon.

A carer from Harlow who withdrew funds from the accounts of vulnerable men and applied for a credit and store cards in their names has been jailed for 27 months.

Victor Brooks, 64, of Longfield, Harlow, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday, Thursday 26 September, where he was convicted two counts of fraud by abuse of position, two counts of fraud by false representation and two counts of theft.

He admitted the offences at the same court on Wednesday 7 August.

Brooks was providing assistance to two men who suffer from Downs Syndrome and he was responsible for them in many ways, including helping with access to funds.

He was dismissed from the company for reasons not linked to these offences and following his dismissal, there were difficulties in withdrawing cash from their accounts.

It was found that Brooks had changed their security questions, meaning access to their accounts proved difficult.

Police were called and we found that he had applied for a number cards in their names and making purchases for items and other luxuries.

Brooks withdrew over £13,000 from the account of the two men without permission.

Detective Inspector Phil Moulsher, of Harlow CID, said: “Brooks was in a position of trust and used his role to gain access to funds for his own gain.

“We found that he withdrew cash over a period of two and a half years after gaining access to PIN details. He also made fraudulent transactions over the same period and benefitted from thousands of pounds of cash he was not entitled to.

“Yesterday, Brooks was sent to prison for his actions and work continues to recover his victims cash.

“Let this case be a lesson to anyone working in a position of trust. If you abuse your position and take advantage of vulnerable people for your own gain, we will investigate your actions with our partners and bring you to justice.”

Brooks had been employed by North London Homecare.

A spokesperson for North London Homecare & Support said:

“We take the trust placed in us by the people we serve very seriously and in no way condone the type of behaviour exhibited by Mr Brooks.

“We dismissed him in 2017 once it became clear that he did not abide by our organisation’s ethos of always behaving with honesty and compassion. After his dismissal, we then learned of the actions he has now pleaded guilty to and alerted the police. We have assisted the relevant authorities at every stage of the investigation.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of the people we support are our top priorities, as evidenced by the ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ CQC ratings our two branches have, and we strongly support the Court’s decision.”