A 46-YEAR-OLD Stourbridge woman has been warned she could be facing time in jail after she admitted charges involving fraud and theft while providing care for elderly people.

Charlotte Sherwood, who ran CS Homecare Ltd, pleaded guilty to abusing her position by allowing £60,000 to be removed from the bank accounts of two elderly pensioners.

She also admitted stealing £5,544 from one of the pensioners - a woman aged 86 - by continuing to pick up her monthly fee through a standing order while knowing she was no longer one of her clients.

Sherwood, of Albert Street, Stourbridge, had set herself up in a business called Charlotte's Care Services Ltd but the name was subsequently changed.

She was registered with the Care Quality Commission but that was cancelled at a later date when she claimed it had stopped trading after the death of a number of clients.

Sherwood admitted that was untrue or misleading and she also pleaded guilty to running the business dishonestly until the end of September last year.

She admitted abusing her position as a carer by paying a cheque for £20,000 into her ISA account to make a gain for herself or expose the 92-year-old male client to risk of loss.

And she admitted a similar offence involving payments of £40,000 involving the elderly woman's account and further acquiring money from the fraudulent trading of CS Homecare Ltd.

Abigail Nixon, defending, told the court Sherwood - who had returned the £60,000 to both elderly clients at a later date - was aware the likely sentence was custody.

Judge Dean Kershaw at Wolverhampton Crown Court told her: "I am not trying to frighten you but I want to ensure you are prepared."

Sherwood, who provided care for elderly people in their own homes, is expected to be sentenced on March 18 after the completion of reports.