Carer jailed for three years after hidden cameras show her stealing £8,000 of jewellery

Mixed · 2Lara Jones, 50, a carer from Mark Beech in Kent, has been sentenced to three years in prison for burglary after stealing jewellery worth £8,000 from an elderly man she was caring for. 1 2 Mixed · 2The family of the man, who lives in Oxted, noticed jewellery was missing after Jones completed her first shift for him. They suspected the new carer but could not be sure, so they set up hidden cameras in his bedroom, according to SurreyLive, which both outlets cite. 1 2 Mixed · 2By 26 November 2025 the cameras had filmed Jones going into the bedroom, searching it and pocketing jewellery worth £8,000. 1 2

Mixed · 2On Wednesday 3 December the man's daughter called police, saying her father was alone with the new carer, whom the family had seen on CCTV searching the bedroom drawers and cupboards. Officers attended and arrested Jones on suspicion of burglary, and a search found the jewellery. 1 2 Mixed · 2Jones pleaded not guilty. The case went to trial in August, and the jury returned guilty verdicts on three counts of burglary. 1 2 Mixed · 2After sentencing, the victim's family said the violation of trust at a vulnerable time was "devastating" and thanked Surrey Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. 1 2

Mixed · 2Detective Constable Jen Trudel, the officer in charge of the case for Surrey Police, said the family had been left wary of letting anyone into their home despite needing respite care, and hoped the sentence would bring them closure. 1 2