Carer stole £1,000 from her own disabled mother after becoming addicted to CANDY CRUSH

A carer addicted to playing Candy Crush Saga stole more than £1,000 from her own disabled mother to fund her gaming habit.
Sally-Anne Turner, 45, from Harwich, Essex, was given access to her mother Carol-Ann's bank account through her role as carer.
However, she abused the older woman's trust and stole from her to play the online game - in which users can pay for extra lives and gaming aids.

'Out of control': Candy Crush addict Sally-Anne Turner, 45, stole more than £1,000 from her own disabled mother to fund her gaming habit

Turner admitted a charge of fraud while occupying a position of trust, but was spared an immediate prison sentence.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard how her mother had become suspicious when she noticed money was missing from her bank.
She soon discovered that more than £1,000 had been taken between February 2012 and January 2014, without her permission.
Turner had become addicted to Candy Crush Saga and other on-line gaming sites, and things had 'spiralled out of control,' her lawyer told the court on Friday.

She has been told to pay her mother back, but the court heard the older woman has refused to accept it.
Henny Tatum, mitigating, told the court Turner was 'incredibly remorseful' over what had happened and was no longer playing games on the internet.
'She has now resolved matters with her mother,' the lawyer added.

Discovery: Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Turner's mother, Carol-Ann, became suspicious when she noticed money was missing from her bank

Recorder Timothy Ashe QC, sentencing, jailed Turner for 12 weeks, suspended for a year,  ordered her to abide by a three-month curfew between 8pm and 6am.
'What you did was clearly wrong and caused your mother distress,' Mr Ashe said.
Candy Crush Saga can be played via mobile phone, tablet or computer - usually via Facebook.  It is thought that 93million people worldwide play on an average day, with more than one billion daily game sessions taking place.
Players move a variety of brightly coloured sweets - or candies - around a grid and line up at least three of the same sweet in a row.  Every time a row is completed, the line explodes, making way for more sweets to drop in.
The game is free to download and the majority of gamers aim to complete the 605 levels without shelling out any money, asking Facebook friends to send them extra lives.
However, it is possible to purchase lives and 'boosters', such as virtual 'candy hammers', with £298 million spent by players in the last three months of 2013 alone.

DM