A CARER cleared of stealing from an elderly man she looked after has today spoken of her anger that the case ever came to court.

Tracey Hiscock, 37, stood in the dock with her eyes closed as the jury foreman read out not guilty verdicts on seven charges of theft from 85-year-old Alzheimer's sufferer Alfred Harding.

As Judge John Boggis QC told her she could walk free from Southampton Crown Court, Ms Hiscock broke down in tears.

Today she told the Daily Echo: "I am not pleased, or relieved. I am angry that it got this far. I have had so much support from people who are outraged that this has come this far.

"It was just Mrs Furze's word against mine and it should never have got to this stage."

She added that she would be returning to work with her name cleared.

It took the jury three and a half hours to reach their decision after listening to a summing up in which Judge Boggis warned they had to be sure that Ms Hiscock, of Church Street, Shirley, was being dishonest.

Jurors had heard that Mr Harding's daughter Marilyn Furze believed Ms Hiscock was stealing money and medication.

Mrs Furze even set a trap to catch her, hiding in the spare bedroom of her father's terraced house in Millbrook while Ms Hiscock visited.

She also claimed Ms Hiscock failed to wake Mr Harding up to give him vital medication, and threw tablets away later to disguise the fact that they had not been issued.

The court heard that Ms Hiscock had worked as a carer since she was 18 and had a string of glowing character references to her name.

During the trial, Ms Hiscock even told the court that Mr Harding, who was in the early stages of his illness and was taking tablets following heart surgery, was one of her favourite clients.

Mrs Furze and other members of Mr Harding's family were also in court to hear the verdict.

They told the Daily Echo afterwards they were deeply disappointed at the decision.