SHE was put in a position of trust – to look after a grandad confined to a wheelchair following a severe stroke.

But carer Angela Smith ended up abusing her role and stealing money from savings stashed in a bedside drawer in 66-year-old Paul Lonergan’s bedroom.

It was only when Mr Lonergan’s family became suspicious and turned detective that 30-year-old Smith was caught.

They had told police but officers said that they needed proof before taking any action.

Determined to find the culprit, Mr Lonergan’s family went on to the internet and bought a camera disguised as an alarm clock costing £30.

It was installed in Mr Lonergan’s bedroom opposite his bedside drawer inside which was cash with their serial numbers jotted down. Then they waited until Smith next dropped by Mr Lonergan’s bungalow in Barton on Sea before viewing the camera footage of her visit.

Kelly Wickens, prosecuting, said: “It showed the defendant coming in as her duty as a carer and shows her entering the cupboard and removing the cash.”

The video filmed Smith dressed in a green apron and gloves entering his bedroom and making his bed before opening a bedside drawer.

Smith then helped herself to the notes and appears to count them on the bed she has just made. The carer then closes the drawer and stuffs the wad of £130 in her apron pocket without any visible signs of nervousness.

With the proof she needed Mr Lonergan’s ex-partner Catherine Lonergan then handed the footage to police, who within hours had detained Smith.

At Southampton Magistrates’ Court Smith admitted stealing an unknown amount of cash in May this year and another count of stealing £130 in June.

Magistrates imposed a community order for 18 months with 250 hours unpaid work and a compensation order of £175 plus £85 court costs.

Smith will also be tagged and curfewed between 7pm and 5am for four months.

They also rejected a plea for her curfew to be adjusted to allow her to enjoy a pre-booked holiday.

Jonathan Simpson, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, immediately came clean to police and was now receiving counselling to make sure she did not repeat what she did.

“She knows she has done wrong,” he said.

Smith, from New Milton, who worked as a carer for 10 years, lost her job but now has a position lined up as a shop supervisor at a newsagent, he said.