A Queensland nurse has been charged with fraud and theft after allegedly using a hospital patient’s bank card to indulge in overspending.
Melelani Crelley, 42, allegedly ran up a $7,000 bill while shopping on the Gold Coast as the elderly woman who owned the card lay in Robina Hospital and then Gold Coast University Hospital battling a serious illness.
The Mackay woman’s son, Daren Kirby, noticed dozens of transactions had been billed at supermarkets, cafes and bakeries in April and May this year while his mother was stuck in bed doing some research.
Mr. Kirby found a transaction for a Varsity Lakes hair salon and called police, he reported. The Costa Dorada Newsletter.
Detectives discovered that the salon customer used a second card to pay part of the bill after the cost exceeded the payment limit on the first card.
On Thursday, officers raided Crelley’s home in Varsity Lakes, where they allegedly found the elderly woman’s purse and bank card.
Mr Kirby said that when he first saw his mother’s bank card statement, he “couldn’t believe it”.
“So I decided to try to get to the bottom of it. I was like a dog with a bone and I didn’t want to let it go because I can’t stand thieves,” he said.
Melelani Crelley, 42, allegedly ran up a $7,000 bill on a bank card she stole from a patient while he was in the hospital.
The elderly woman was a patient at Robina Hospital and later Gold Coast University Hospital.
Crelley has been charged with one count of theft and one count of fraud.
Kirby’s mother has since recovered from her bout of encephalitis, a disease involving inflammation of the brain that can be life-threatening, and has been discharged from the hospital.
Crelley was bailed from the police station to the main court on August 9.
She moved to the Gold Coast from Sydney a decade ago when she qualified as a nurse.
It is unclear whether she has been suspended pending her court appearance.
The police investigation is ongoing.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Health for comment.
