A SOCIAL worker who swindled an elderly widow out of more than £16,000 has been struck off after a panel concluded she brought her profession into “serious disrepute”.

Lisa Hoskins has been removed from the register of social workers following a Social Care Wales fitness to practise hearing on Tuesday.

Hoskins, of Pontypool, admitted of eight counts of fraud in October last year.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Hoskins was employed as a social worker with Newport City Council when she looked after Grace Watkins’ husband.

Following his death in 2018, she befriended and continued to visit Mrs Watkins – but not in an official capacity.

Mrs Watkins died not long after her husband and different Newport City Council social workers visited her home in April 2019.

They found bank statements on her bed which included repeated credit card transactions which had been made both before and after her death.

The police were informed, and they used CCTV footage of purchases being made at Trago Mills shopping centre in Merthyr Tydfil and at John Lewis in Cribbs Causeway to link it to Hoskins.

Sentencing Hoskins in November, Judge Niclas Parry described her offending as “a mean and despicable offence”. 

She was jailed for 16 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work, as well as paying compensation of £16,814.10 and a £140 surcharge.

A Social Care Wales panel concluded that Hoskins was not fit to practise again.

The panel concluded: “We find that Ms Hoskins’ fitness to practice is currently impaired due to her conviction.

“This is not an isolated error on the part of Ms Hoskins.

“Ms Hoskins carried out a serious fraud over a sustained period of time.

“Fraud is a dishonesty offence and is not easily remediable.

“Ms Hoskins abused her position of trust and took advantage of [Mrs Watkins] for her own financial gain.

“We also found that she formed an inappropriate relationship with [Mrs Watkins].

“We find that Ms Hoskins’ integrity cannot be relied upon. She deceived a vulnerable individual.

“Ms Hoskins conduct brought the profession into serious disrepute.

“We consider that a reasonable member of the public would be shocked at Ms Hoskins conduct.”

The panel added that it had not received any evidence that Hoskins had taken any actions to demonstrate a change in her behaviour.

The panel imposed a removal order on Hoskins’ registration as a social care worker.