NIGERIAN CAREGIVER BAGS 8 YEARS IN JAIL FOR R#BBING ELDERLY AND DISABLED PATIENTS IN THE UK

A 32-year-old Nigerian caregiver, Ediongseyene Essien, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by a UK court for burglary and r%bbery offences targeting elderly and vulnerable people in Liverpool.

Essien appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday and was sentenced to three years for burglary and five years for r%bbery, to be served consecutively, Merseyside Police said. The police added that Essien will serve 30 per cent of the sentence before being deported.

Essien had worked as a carer until March 9, when he was suspended by his employers following theft allegations. The following day, March 10, he committed four separate offences in the L6 area against elderly and vulnerable people, including some he had previously cared for.

Police said he first st+le a bank card from a vulnerable blind man and used it in multiple nearby transactions. He later entered another home and went into the bedroom of an elderly resident, although nothing was believed to have been stolen.

That evening, he gained entry into the home of a severely disabled occupant at about 7:30pm, with nothing believed to have been taken. Around 9pm, he smashed the rear patio door of an elderly couple’s home. The couple watched him enter their living room and steal a wallet containing cash.

Detective Inspector Kevin O’Rourke described the offences as “a series of reprehensible burglary and r%bbery offences” against people Essien had previously cared for and other vulnerable victims.

He said, “It is frankly beyond comprehension for someone with this job to go on and target those same people, and then push and grab other elderly and unwell victims in his desperation for money.”

O’Rourke added, “Like all victims of burglary and r%bbery, they have suffered a great deal of distress from Essien’s crimes and I am grateful for their patience and help in bringing him to justice. Essien has today been given a significant prison sentence, which we hope brings a measure of comfort to those he h@rmed.”