A former Hertfordshire County Council support worker who stole nearly £7,000 from a person with learning disabilities has been handed a suspended prison sentence. Callum Lang, 30, was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on 30 June after a Hertfordshire County Council investigation uncovered the fraud.
Lang took £6,858 from the vulnerable adult he was supposed to support between August 2019 and September 2021. Concerns first surfaced when suspicious transactions appeared in the vulnerable adult’s bank account, prompting a report to the council’s Shared Anti-Fraud Service. Investigators found evidence of deliberate fraud, leading to Lang’s conviction for abuse of position on 15 April after a three-day trial in which he had pleaded not guilty.
The court ordered Lang to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £6,858 in compensation, £1,000 in costs, and a £187 victim surcharge. His 22-month prison term was suspended for 24 months. Cllr Chris Lucas, executive member for resources and performance, said the council was “shocked and appalled” by the theft and stressed that integrity is a core value expected of all staff.
Lang was suspended as soon as the allegations emerged and was dismissed following a disciplinary hearing. The council emphasised that it moves quickly to investigate any suspected financial abuse of people in its care and will prosecute offenders where the evidence supports it.
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