A 41-year-old professional caregiver admitted in court on Monday, December 29, to stealing from two elderly men under his care, including taking one patient's bank card and withdrawing S$10,000 over several days.
Bernales Derwin Soria pleaded guilty to one charge of theft against a vulnerable person and one charge of cheating, with both offences amalgamated. Five additional charges will be taken into consideration during his sentencing, which is scheduled for next month.
The Filipino national was employed by Aseana Caregivers at the time of the offences.
One of the victims was an 80-year-old man suffering from dementia, vascular Parkinsonism and anxiety disorder. Due to his condition, the elderly man was unable to manage household expenses, maintain personal hygiene independently or keep track of his finances, and required assistance with medication. He was deemed a vulnerable adult under the law as he was unable to protect himself from abuse or neglect.
The victim's son had hired a caregiver for his father, and Bernales was assigned to him for several days in late March and early April.
During this period, Bernales spent long hours with the elderly man, gained his trust and learned personal details about him. He later memorised the personal identification number for the man's ATM card after seeing it written on the back of the victim's phone.
Around April 27, Bernales took the victim's unattended ATM card and went on to make eight cash withdrawals over six days, amounting to S$10,000.
According to the prosecution, he claimed the money was used to rebuild his home in the Philippines, which he said had been damaged by a typhoon. The theft came to light when the victim's son updated his father's bank book on April 1.
The second victim was a 75-year-old man who had engaged Bernales to accompany him to hospital appointments between August and September 6.
During one of these trips, Bernales obtained the man's credit card, which he claimed was handed to him by a hospital employee. He later used the card to purchase about S$1,800 worth of in-game credits for a mobile game after his own credit card was declined.
The second victim lodged a police report after spotting the unauthorised transactions on his credit card statements. Bernales was arrested on September 10 and has not made any restitution to either victim.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Johan Tay sought a jail sentence of between nine months and one week and 10 months and three weeks.
Under the law, theft carries a penalty of up to three years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, while cheating can result in a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine. The maximum sentence may be doubled when offences are amalgamated or when the victim is a vulnerable person.
