A Nottinghamshire care home manager has been sentenced to prison after stealing more than £55,000 from vulnerable residents to fund personal luxuries including a car, caravan, and hot tub.
Keeley Coleman, 48, a mother from Bilsthorpe, abused her position at The Old Vicarage in Ollerton, where she began managing the 14-bedroom facility in 2020. The home provides care for residents with autism, learning disabilities, and severe complex needs.
The court heard that Coleman misused bank cards belonging to two residents as well as a pooled account intended for seven others, all of which were kept in the home’s office safe.
Suspicion arose when she repeatedly denied requests for essential items, citing budget restrictions. This forced staff to rely on second-hand donations to meet residents’ basic needs.
Judge Philip Head, sentencing Coleman to two years and seven months in prison, told her, “Over the next three years, you stole £55,000 belonging to nine residents, £21,000 from one alone. At times, when residents were in need, you would say they had insufficient funds in their accounts to meet their needs. On occasions, that meant staff would bring in their own clothing for residents. You saw that and carried on anyway. You bought a new car for your daughter, a caravan and a hot tub for yourself.”
Prosecutor Megan Morrison explained, “A team leader at the home asked for access for personal residents’ accounts to buy them items such as underwear and was told by the defendant they did not have the budget for such purchases. She left her employment, and after that, it was discovered she had been taking large amounts of cash from the company and residents’ accounts. She did provide a small amount of cash to residents, but each time cash was withdrawn, large amounts were kept for herself.”
Coleman stole £21,528 from one resident, £10,457 from another, and £23,634 from pooled funds. She pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by abuse of position and one count of false accounting.
Defending solicitor Declan Smith said: “Her son has neurodivergent issues and she is the full-time carer for him.”
Consensus, which acquired the former operator Creative Care, stated, “There is nothing more important to us than protecting the interests of the people we support. We have apologised to the people involved for this terrible breach of trust, and we are close to concluding a process that will ensure they are fully reimbursed.
“As soon as we were made aware of the situation, we immediately contacted the relevant authorities. We have worked closely with Nottinghamshire County Council and the police during their investigation. We can confirm that the former member of staff has not worked at the service since October 2023. Additionally, we have undertaken a comprehensive review and strengthened our financial auditing processes. We are confident that we have the robust systems in place to ensure this will not happen again.”
