Care home manager jailed after stealing over £50,000 from vulnerable residents

Michaela Golding, 58, of Greenfields Avenue, Osgodby, was the manager of a care home in Filey when the offending took place between October 2022 and June 2024.

Golding offered to help relatives of residents who were struggling to manage care home payments and finances.

In several cases, money intended to pay care fees was instead paid directly into Golding's personal bank accounts and used for her own expenditure.

From one victim alone, Golding took just over £27,000.

She also altered invoices from a podiatry service which provided care to residents, inflating the costs and taking the additional money from residents' personal expenditure.

Golding denied taking this extra money for herself, saying it was instead placed in a tin in the office as petty cash.

During a second police interview, when confronted with the evidence, Golding admitted responsibility for the offences.

She pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and false accounting at Scarborough Magistrates' Court on Monday (Aug 10).

The son of one of Golding's victims described the devastating impact her offending had on his family in a Victim Personal Statement.

He said: "When I first discovered that money had been taken from my mum, I experienced a mixture of overwhelming emotions. Initially, I felt intense anger, which was then replaced by an overwhelming feeling of sickness. My mum was a very proud woman, and to know that this happened during the final years of her life causes me great distress. I still struggle to comprehend how someone could do this to her.

"My mum was living in a care home and was being looked after by people whom I believed I could trust — people who were supposed to protect her at a time when she was at her most vulnerable. My mum was the most wonderful person in my world and deserved kindness, dignity, and proper care. Instead, she was taken advantage of by someone who abused their position of trust.

"I feel deeply betrayed by Michaela Golding. Whenever I spoke to her, she came across as caring and attentive, while all the time she was stealing from my mum. My mum would have trusted her completely — she was placed in a role of trust, and that trust was shamefully abused. I find this behaviour utterly disgraceful and beyond belief.

"It has now been two years since my mother passed away, and I still feel unable to grieve properly. What has happened has prevented me from finding any sense of closure. This matter has remained ongoing, and as a result, the emotions surrounding my mum’s final years remain raw and painful. Until this process is complete, it feels impossible to move forward.

"I feel a strong need for justice for my mum. She was treated in a despicable manner when she should have been protected and respected. I hope that at some point Michaela will truly understand the seriousness of what she has done and the lasting impact it has had on my family."

Golding appeared at York Crown Court on Friday (Sep 4), where she was sentenced to 32 months in prison.

Fraud Investigator, PC Emma Harris, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: "Golding's offending was despicable and the effect on the families cannot be underestimated. She was placed in a position of trust to take care of vulnerable people and act in their best interests, instead she took advantage of them for her own financial gain.

"The victims' families should be praised for their dedication and patience in achieving justice for their family members who fell victim to Golding. I hope today's sentence goes some way in offering closure and help them now move forward and finally grieve for their loved ones."