Kaylie McGrath, 39, was sentenced by the Magistrate’s Court to 140 hours of community service for three counts of fraud and five months in prison, suspended for two years, for benefit fraud.
She had been working as an administrator at a local care company, a role that involved on-boarding new clients and sometimes visiting them in their homes.
She was not required to access their bank accounts or bank details.
Judge Gary Perry said she targeted elderly and vulnerable people when she was in a position of trust and no words could describe how mean these offences were.
‘It is absolutely and utterly disgraceful for any human to turn to elderly and vulnerable people and use them as a target to fulfil their own needs,’ he said.
The offences came to light in December last year, when a family member of one of the clients noticed unusual transactions which were not consistent with their relative’s lifestyle.
Her bank card had been used to withdraw £300 in cash from Waitrose in November, which she had not done.
The care company carried out its own investigation in December, at which time McGrath admitted to managers what she had done. She was dismissed from employment.
In January, McGrath was arrested and admitted the offences.
She said she had a lot of housing and financial issues and, having visited the client on several occasions, she had noted down the client’s card details and used them to pay for online transactions for her and her family.
She had also taken the physical card to withdraw the money from the cash point and had taken £60 from her purse.
McGrath had also noted down the details on another’s client’s bank card and added them to her Amazon account.
In October, she ordered a hair curler for £132.50 and in January, while no longer employed at the company, used the client’s details to pay her Sure phone bill for £19.
The client said he believed that someone had entered his home while he was asleep.
The total amount lost by both victims is unknown.
Despite being employed by the care company in August 2025, McGrath had continued to claim sickness benefits and submitted forms to claim unemployment benefits.
In September, she changed her address following a breakup and claimed income support, which was approved in October.
She did not tell the States department that she was employed.
It is estimated that she received a total overpayment of more than £9,000, although the exact figures and breakdown are being retrieved.
McGrath admitted she had been working and had made false claims.
She was arrested and interviewed again in April. After making a full admission, she was charged.
Defending, Advocate Paul Lockwood said his client had since repaid the £300 to the woman but, due to bail conditions, could not contact the man to repay him.
McGrath said she was mortified by what she had done and wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow her up.
She was already in the process of paying back the States of Guernsey for the loss but it would take a long time.
Advocate Lockwood said his client had a low risk of reoffending.
Judge Perry said he found that assessment quite surprising and incomprehensible.
Advocate Lockwood said his client had experienced a relationship breakdown, housing instability and an out-of-control gambling addiction.
Her decision to do what she did was compulsive and she had already sought therapy and help for her gambling addiction.
Judge Perry gave McGrath credit for her early guilty plea but said that she put her own needs before the community’s needs.
She will also have to pay compensation to the male client in respect of the items she purchased with his money.