A carer has denied using a 91-year-old woman’s cash card to withdraw almost £4,000 in the space of just a month.

Carolyn Howarth-Podesta allegedly wore a hooded coat to disguise her face when she used the cashpoint machine in Newton Abbot but was traced after police used Facebook to distribute a CCTV image.

She had been a carer for housebound Eleni Marwick in January last year when her bank card was taken from a wallet in a holdall and used 14 times at the same ATM machine.

The card was cancelled when Mrs Marwick’s son John spotted 13 unauthorised withdrawals, all for £300 and all from the machine at the Barclays branch in Courtenay Street, Newton Abbot.

Howarth-Podesta, aged 54, of Singmoor Farm, Bovey Tracey, denies having a bank card for the use in fraud, 13 offences of fraud and one of attempted fraud.

William Parkhill, prosecuting, told Exeter Crown Court Mrs Marwick is in her 90s and in poor health, which means she receives care from a local firm called Olive Branch.

He said police recovered still images from the bank’s CCTV of eight of the withdrawals, all between January 27 and February 27 last year.

All but one showed a woman wearing a coat with a hood which hid her face but the other offered a partial view of the face. This was used by police for an appeal on Facebook and the local media.

Mr Parkhill said John Marwick identified Howarth-Podesta from the image and she herself contacted the police and confirmed she had been a carer for Mrs Marwick.

He said police recovered a coat which was identical to that seen in several of the CCTV images which had studs in the collar which allowed a fur collar to be attached.

Howarth-Podesta denied taking the card and claimed she was at other clients’ homes at the times when money was withdrawn. She said she had owned a bag similar to one seen in the images but it had been eaten by her dog.

Mr Parkhill said: ’The prosecution case is that this is another attempt to disguise what really happened in the same way she tried to disguise her face with the hood.

’It is our case she made these withdrawals and she was acting dishonestly.’

The trial continues.