Glasgow care worker who used resident’s card to pay bills ‘not thinking clearly’ due to lockdown

Published

3 years ago

April 13, 2023

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A care home worker who used a resident’s bank card to pay for his monthly bus pass, mobile phone bill and an Uber ride was said to be “not thinking clearly” due to lockdown.

Robert Crossan was spared being struck off after his explanation was accepted by Scotland’s care watchdog.

He was working as a senior carer at Jordanhill Care Home in Glasgow at the time of the incidents in April and May 2020.

He used the bank card without the resident’s permission on three separate occasions.

Crossan paid First Bus £53 for a monthly travel pass to get him to and from work. He paid O2 £64.39 for his mobile phone bill to keep in touch with work. And he paid Uber £6.63 to get him home from work due to public transport issues caused by COVID and the time of day.

The resident’s family contacted the care home over the payments and the woman’s bank card was removed from her bedroom for safekeeping.

Crossan, unaware the family had been in touch over the card’s misuse, reported himself to his employer and said he had been “preparing to confess for a few days”.

He tried to pay the money back, but his boss refused and reported the incident to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

Crossan resigned at the end of May 2020 and reportedly went to the police. The SSSC said there was “no allegation of dishonesty”.

In a written ruling following a hearing last week, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) said: “At the time, the country was subject to COVID-19 restrictions.

“These factors caused your working conditions in the care home to be difficult.

“You spent some days off going to the funerals of residents who had died.

“Your evidence, which the panel accepted, was that the combination of factors meant that you were not thinking clearly.”

The watchdog found Crossan’s fitness to practise impaired but said a removal order was “not warranted” and would be “disproportionate and harsh”.

The SSSC instead imposed a warning on his registration for four years.

Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.

Crossan returned to work at the care home in October 2022, where he has been described as an “exceptionally good worker”.

All those who gave evidence described his conduct as “out of character”.

The SSSC branded it a “very serious breach of trust” but accepted Crossan had reflected on his actions and would “act differently now”.

The panel said there was also public interest in “keeping good, committed workers, who can be trusted not to repeat their misconduct, in the workforce”.

The SSSC concluded: “You submitted, and the panel accepted, that an informed member of the public would be willing to give you a second chance.”

Foxcare Ltd, which owns Jordanhill Care Home, was contacted for comment.

UK

Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two children in Stafford

Published

11 hours ago

October 12, 2025

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Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two children in Stafford

A 43-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of two children in Stafford.

Police were called to a home on Corporation Street at around 7.30am on Sunday by West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Two children were pronounced dead at the scene, Staffordshire Police said.

Detective Inspector Kirsty Oldfield said: “We are working hard to understand more about what happened leading up to these two children tragically losing their lives.

“We ask that people do not speculate at this stage as it is distressing for family and friends and could hinder our inquiries.

“We understand that this incident may cause concern in the local community. We don’t believe there is wider threat to the public at this time.”

The 43-year-old woman, who is from the Stafford area, remains in custody.

The force has not confirmed the ages of the two children. Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers, police said.

UK

Man charged with stalking after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family

Published

12 hours ago

October 12, 2025

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Man charged with stalking after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family

A man has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family.

Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton, south London, was arrested last Monday, but it was only made public on Sunday.

He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody, the Met Police said.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between June and October.

Sir Ed, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton, lives in southwest London with his wife, Emily, their 17-year-old son John, and his younger sister Ellie.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife.

“He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 October and was remanded into custody. He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday, 14 October.

“He was arrested on Monday, 6 October in relation to the offences, which are alleged to have taken place between June and October.”

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “We cannot provide any details at this time, Ed’s number one priority is the safety of his family.”

UK

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies after attack in prison

Published

23 hours ago

October 12, 2025

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Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies after attack in prison

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.

Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.

He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.

West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.

The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.

A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.

Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.

He was sentenced in December 2013 to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.

He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.

At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.

Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.

A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.

When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.

After being caught with a mobile phone behind bars in 2019, he told a court that he was locked up with “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.