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Ruth Fort stole thousands of pounds from a vulnerable and wheelchair-bound woman while working at a care home and spent the cash on a holiday. The 47-year-old stole £7,200 from the individual in her care and was caught out when her husband heard her talking about the actions in her sleep.

Antony, 61, took the courageous decision to report his wife to the police after hearing her mumbling “about money” in her sleep.

The father of three said he had become suspicious prior to this as she had begun “overspending”.

He added that she splurged thousands during a family holiday to Mexico in November 2018 but that his wife had dismissed his fears.

He said: “When I questioned her, she claimed relatives had given her a thousand pounds spending money. I wasn’t sure whether to believe her.”

But four weeks later, Antony was awoken by hearing his wife mumbling about money while asleep, before finding the debit card belonging to the care home’s resident in his wife’s purse.

He said: “Ruth was mumbling about money and when I woke up, I saw the purse on the floor with a few notes fallen out.

“I got up to put them back, and in her purse, I saw the debit card.

“It all clicked into place, and I felt absolutely sickened.

“I couldn’t believe it. When Ruth woke up, I confronted her, and she admitted everything.

“I told her to pack her bags and leave.”

He described discovering the card as “heartbreaking”, adding that he “could not ignore what she had done”.

After being reported by Antony, Ruth appeared before Liverpool Crown Court last week.

Antony said: “I had my suspicions when Ruth began over-spending. It was more of an instinct really, at first. But when I found the debit card in her purse, I just knew. It was heartbreaking.

“I loved Ruth deeply, but I could not ignore what she had done. It was abhorrent to me that she could steal from a vulnerable person and I had to report her.”

Antony, who works as a microbiologist, met Ruth whilst he was studying at Liverpool University.

The pair began dating in May 2008 and shared a mutual passion for music.

Antony said: “We went to gigs and did a lot of walking. We were really happy together.”

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The couple moved in together in Fleetwood, Lancashire, before getting married on New Year’s Eve in 2010, but their relationship ran into difficulties.

Following this Antony and Ruth moved to a picturesque Lancashire village where Ruth took up running and fitness and found part-time work as a carer.

Antony described when he first began worrying about Ruth, saying that it “was an instinct”.

He said: “One night, in August 2018, I picked Ruth up from work and she told me she’d taken one of the care home residents out shopping that day.

“She said the lady, who was in a wheelchair, had 98k in her bank account. Something in the way she spoke just made my heart sink. I realised Ruth must have access to the card and pin number.

“There was no more to it, but I began worrying, even though I had no reason to. It was an instinct.”

Ruth was arrested soon after Antony reported her to the police.

She appeared before Preston Crown Court in February 2021, where she admitted to stealing £7200.

She was handed a suspended jail sentence of 16 months, with conditions including attending drug rehabilitation sessions.

She appeared before Liverpool Crown Court this month though after breaching the suspended jail sentence by not attending drug rehabilitation sessions twice and had also missed a meeting with her probation officer.

Antony claimed that he felt “judged” for his decision to report his wife.

Antony says: “When the case became public there was a revulsion in our village. My family really suffered as a result. I had done the right thing and yet I was being judged alongside Ruth.”

However, the judge praised him for his “commendable” actions, saying it “must have been a very difficult thing to do.

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