A 92-year-old patient gave a married nurse more than £50,000 after she flashed her breasts and said he was her boyfriend, a hearing was told.
Sharon Whyte-Harrison, 55, preyed on the elderly man after convincing him they were in a relationship.
The nurse introduced the pensioner to people as her boyfriend and ‘let him look at her breasts’, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.
She used his credit cards to withdraw cash, to pay her utility bills and buy gifts for her children, including an iPad, it was said.
When questioned about the relationship by her manager at the Palms Medical Centre in Ilford, Essex, the nurse claimed she had met the old man at a local shop.
She admitted using his card to withdraw cash and make personal purchases, including the iPad, but insisted she always paid him back.
Whyte-Harrison, from Barking, denied she ever stole money from the elderly man but his son discovered his father had given her three credit cards, the hearing was told.
The patient later admitted he had been a ‘bit of a fool’ after discovering Whyte-Harrison was married.
He said that she had shown him her utility bills and he offered to pay them for her because she was in dire financial straits.
The pensioner later told investigators he gave the nurse more than £50,000 and that she had not paid him anything back, the hearing was told.
Whyte-Harrison was made subject of an interim suspension order in July 2013 while the NMC carried out a full investigation into the allegations.
But Whyte-Harrison defied the ban, working 14 shifts as a nurse at the Burgess Park Care Home, Camberwell and the York Court Care Home, Battersea, through the Kare Plus (Stratford) nursing agency.
Whyte-Harrison admitted working the shifts and was struck off the NMC register for working in breach of the suspension.
NMC panel chair Andrews Skelton said: “The allegations span a considerable period of time. They include various allegations of repetitive and continued dishonesty, including lying to the patient, and fraud.
“In addition to this, the panel noted that the allegations include a breach of the patient nurse relationship and involved the targeting of a vulnerable patient.
“Ms Whyte-Harrison had shown a lack of insight into her behaviour and that there was a real risk of repetition of dishonest behaviour, as evidenced by Ms Whyte-Harrison’s attempts to secure further work whilst suspended on full pay.”
Whyte-Harrison was struck off the NMC register.
The Mirror UK
