"My PA had taken over £900 from my savings account over 2 months. My PA had got access to my savings while I was in hospital with severe pain levels and spasms".

This is a personal testimony from someone who is close to Your Support Matters who was a victim of mate crime, and is one of the reasons we decided to embark on the Standing Together Project. All names have been removed for legal purposes.

"I started to notice that his behaviour changed towards me. It was the little things really, but that was the thing that got me, how his attitude changed. So, if I asked him to something for me, or if I asked him a question, he would answer me with an appalling attitude.

I had to remind him that I was his employer and that he was being paid to do things for me. He was my PA after all, and I really didn’t like the tone or his manner. That for me was the start of a real change in our professional relationship.

Then other things began to happen that made me question him as a PA. Whenever we went shopping, he would add his items on to my bill and expect me to pay for them. I was thinking, “what?!” That’s not right.

It's completely normal for a PA to do the shopping for an individual employer, so there was nothing out of the ordinary, but then I would get the receipt and I noticed that the bill was higher and higher and higher every week.  I think £70 for a single person living on their own is a lot of money and this was happening over 12 years ago! But even my today’s standards, I think £70 is a lot.

I was new to being an Individual Employer at the time, so I was finding my feet and getting use to the process and having someone in my house doing things for me. That meant I was trusting and never thought anyone would take advantage of my situation. But looking back, my PA was. Every time we went out for a coffee, I would have to pay. Then out of the blue, he told me that he had two phone numbers and if one was off I would have to keep trying to the numbers frequently. This added to my stress and I kept thinking, “Why all of a sudden, does he need two mobile phones?”. I reasoned with myself that maybe one was for personal and the other was for work and didn’t think anything else of it.

Until things took a massive turn for the worse.

I wanted my Aunties to take control of my finances, but they had trouble logging into my online banking. Every time they requested a new pin and change it, they would then experience more problems. This went on for weeks. There was one clear memory I have when I wanted to book a holiday. My Aunties picked up on the PA’s reaction. He kept his head down the whole time and wouldn’t look at me or the family. In fact, he was quiet and refused to speak. I remember another incident when I was with a friend at my house and he went to the supermarket and came back with loads of stuff that we didn’t need.

Then I went to London for one of my many meetings with different disability groups. My PA came with me to ensure that I was safe and in case I had issues during the night at the hotel. My PA didn’t stay with me for the meeting, he left me there. For some reason, and to this day I don’t know why, my instinct kept telling me to check my wallet. “Check your  wallet, Will, Check your wallet, Will”. And I did.  I noticed that my card had gone. I tried to phone my PA but he didn’t answer my phone, so I tried the hotel and they put me through to him. He didn’t say he had my card but he came to pick me up at the meeting and I noticed he had a supermarket bag with alcohol in it.

When I returned home, I went to my mum and dad and they said I had to phone the bank. They told me that the card had been used to purchase alcohol and took £50 cash back. I knew it was him. I knew it was my PA. I never stepped foot into Tesco’s supermarket, I was in the meeting room all day.

I immediately phoned my advocate and she told my PA’s not come in or help me as there would be no reason to. She wanted investigate this incident completely and get the police involved. A PC came round and I was told I would need to speak to the Vulnerable Person’s Unit. The PC asked for a picture of the PA. “Oh, I know him”.

I asked, “In what way do you know him? Personally or professionally?”

He never replied to me. Instead he went outside and made some calls.

My suspicion was deepened when he said that he couldn’t contact my PA and that he had gone to Scotland. “We will need to wait for him to come back”.

I was interviewed for over 8 hours. I could remember everything to the finest detail. What was alarming was when the VPU told me that the my PA was known to them as he tried to do this to someone else but that there was a lack of evidence to charge him with anything, but the investigation was still on his record. I wanted to give evidence at the Crown Court but I was advised against it. The stress levels would’ve been too much for me to handle.

My mum and dad told me to check my savings on the off chance that my PA had access to it. It turns out he had taken over £900 from my savings account over 2 months. My PA had got access to my savings while I was in hospital with severe pain levels and spasms. Despite everything I had been through and the court case and the police speaking to my bank, they refused to put the £900 back into my account. My bank wouldn’t show any compassion or understanding.

The trial was over 2 days and he admitted that he had money problems. But on the second day, which was the day of the sentencing he turned up to the court in a car. But he told the court he had no means of transportation and had no money.

The judge said that the magistrates wanted to send him for over a year but given the money problems he would be set free. My mum told the prosecutor that she had seen him with his car and this was relayed back to the judge.

Right until the end he lied.

He lied to the court, to me and as a result of this he was sent to jail for 6 months.

What really worries me is that although this was 12 years ago, I notice that my former PA is working with vulnerable adults as a gardener for a disabled community group.

I believe in rehabilitation, but something seems off with this.

How has he been allowed to work with vulnerable people again? 
It’s not like I was the first person he did this to! I just can’t believe that he has been given this role. Has the employer conducted a CRB check? I was told he wouldn’t be allowed to work with vulnerable people in any capacity, ever again.

Something seems off.

I want all individual employers to know that a CRB check can be taken out of their personal budget as a safety expense and that Local Authorities have a duty to carry out their own due diligence checks too so that Individua Employers are being protected from those who have power to do something".