Former Lambert Lodge employee Kellie Ann Telford spared jail after stealing over $18k from “mentally challenged” resident

A magistrate has slammed a former aged-care manager’s “callous” abuse after she stole a resident’s Centrelink payments and smoked the proceeds of her crimes.

A former aged-care facility manager who used her position to steal more than $18k from a “mentally challenged” resident and smoked the proceeds of her crimes has been sentenced.

Kellie Ann Telford, 49, worked a Lambert Lodge in Mount Gambier for seven years when she gained access the bank card and PIN of a person in her care.

The Mil-Lel woman was spared jail in the Mount Gambier Magistrate Court on Tuesday having previously pleaded guilty to multiple counts of aggravated take property without consent.

Kellie Ann Telford has been sentenced for stealing more than $18k from a person in her care. Picture: Arj Ganesan

The court heard the aged care facility often receives its fees direct from Centrelink before the balance is passed onto the resident’s bank account.

As a manager, Telford would “check off payments” and divert the total Centrelink payment to the victim’s bank account then withdrawing cash from various ATMs.

During sentencing, Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos described Telford’s “abuse” as “a very callous act”.

“We have had abuse in aged care homes and there have been even royal commissions about that abuse,” Magistrate Kossiavelos said.

An affidavit explained the victim was “mentally challenged” and was unable to provide a victim impact statement as they remained unaware of the theft.

A police prosecutor argued for term of imprisonment due to the serious breach of trust that occurred.

Kellie Ann Telford pleaded guilty to stealing over $18k from an aged-care resident. Picture Arj Ganesan

“This is extremely serious offending … it does involve a victim who’s put her trust in the defendant and the defendant has abused this trust, not just on one occasion, but 58 times,” a police prosecutor said.

Telford’s defence lawyer, Jarrad Sim, previously submitted she was suffering from a number of serious health conditions, including depression, low heart function and had a brain tumour removed.

Mr Sim said his client was a heavy smoker who spent most of the $18,567 on cigarettes and was “smoking 40 to 50 a day”.

Magistrate Kossiavelos took into account Telford’s remorse and early guilty plea but said wholly suspending the sentence would not send a strong enough message.

Instead, she handing down a head sentence of one year, three months, discounted to nine months to be served under home detention.

Telford has also been ordered to pay compensation to the victim for the total funds stolen.