A BLAENAU Gwent care home worker who is accused of stealing more than £1,800 from an elderly resident has told jury that on no occasion did she behave dishonestly.

Karen Morgan, of Roundhouse Close, Nantyglo, has pleaded not guilty to stealing £1,820 from 74-year-old Pat Jones.

Prosecutor James Wilson told the jury at Cardiff Crown court how Morgan was working as a clerical assistant at Crawshay House, Brynmawr and one of her responsibilities was to draw money from Mrs Jones' Post Office savings account.

Mrs Jones, the court heard has subsequently died.

The cash obtained, said Mr Wilson should have been put in a tin and recorded on a card which had to be countersigned.

Monies would then be passed on to Mrs Jones when requested and that transaction would be recorded and countersigned.

But said Mr Wilson, last year an investigation showed that there were thirty withdrawals from the account totalling £2,790 and only £970 had been recorded.

After being arrested the 51-year-old mother of three told Detective Constable Anthony Price: "I would never steal from anyone, I haven't stolen anything."

Morgan, a woman with no previous convictions said that at the time of the alleged thefts over a two-year period, she and her family were experiencing no financial difficulties whatsoever.

Morgan told the police she had passed the money on to Mrs Jones' carer and didn't know what subsequently happened to it.

She also told the jury that before going to the home she worked for Blaenau Gwent Council as a clerk.

When she went to the home she received a day's training for her duties, which involved dealing with petty cash, pensions, and staff wages.

She said that Mrs Jones's care worker ninety per cent of the time requested money for her and the carer would pass it on.

Some of the withdrawals noted, she said had been recorded on days when she didn't go to the post office.