Nurse who stole £6k from dementia patient jailed

Rexy Rayes worked at the Queen's Medical Centre when his victim was admitted in January 2020

A nurse who stole more than £6,000 from an elderly patient with dementia has been jailed for 18 months.

Police said Rexy Reyes worked at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham when his victim, who has since died, was admitted for care in January 2020.

Over a three-week period, the 52-year-old used his victim's bank card, which was kept in her purse, along with a small piece of paper containing the pin number, to make multiple cash withdrawals totalling £6,450.

Reyes, of Broxtowe Lane, Nottingham, initially denied responsibility but was found guilty of two counts of theft by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday.

'Appalling breach of trust'

Nottinghamshire Police said Reyes' crimes were uncovered when a member of the victim's family opened bank statements at her home and discovered the withdrawals.

He had been at work on 17 of the 22 days the card was used at one of two cash points near the hospital, the force added.

He had also been present on his day off when the other withdrawals were made.

In the absence of CCTV covering the cash machines, police said detectives placed Reyes at the scene using door access card records.

Det Con Akil Kapasi, a fraud investigator, said: "This was the most appalling breach of trust involving a vulnerable patient and a medical professional paid and trusted to care for her.

"Stealing from her even once would have been bad enough, but Reyes did it again and again and again - even taking care to avoid detection on CCTV.

"In committing these crimes, he not only betrayed a vulnerable victim, but also his hard-working colleagues who go to work each day to care for the most vulnerable people in our society."