Trust and honesty in marriage are the most essential ingredients for two people to live together in harmony. But this is not always the case, such is the case of Antony Fort, a 61-year-old Briton who decided to hand over her wife Ruth de Ella, 47, to the police after hearing her confess to a robbery while she slept.
After listening to his wife’s “mumbles” about the money she had stolen, some £7,200 to be exact, he proceeded to search for evidence and to his surprise found someone else’s debit card in her bag.
But the thing did not stop there, his astonishment was even greater when he found out that the victim had been nothing more and nothing less than a woman in a wheelchair who was under Ruth’s care in a nursing home where she worked. So she was left with no choice but to make the difficult decision to report her to the authorities.
Antony, a microbiologist by profession, stated that one night in August 2018 he picked up his wife at work and told her that that day he had taken one of the residents of the group home shopping. Ruth had told her husband that the lady, who was in a wheelchair, had £98,000 in her bank account.
Something in the way she spoke made my heart sink. I realized that Ruth must have access to the card and the PIN number.
Ruth had taken a break from work due to her epilepsy and it was during this time that her subconscious gave her away completely.
The father of three said his suspicions began when Ruth started spending too much in November 2018, when the couple booked a luxury trip to Mexico. At first, it was just instinct, but when he found the card in her bag, it all made sense.
When I questioned her, she said that her relatives had given her £1,000 for expenses (US$1,363). He wasn’t sure if she believed him. Everything fell into place and I felt absolutely disgusted. I could not believe it. When Ruth woke up, I confronted her and she admitted everything. I told him to pack his bags and get out of it. He was heartbreaking, he loved her and yet she knew he had no choice but to report her.
Later that month, Antony went to the police. Ruth Forth was arrested, later going to Crown Court in February 2021, where she admitted stealing the £7,200 from the woman who cared for her for a period of two months. The woman received a 16-month suspended prison sentence, as well as compulsory attendance at drug rehabilitation sessions.
However, the rebellious Ruth did not comply with the judge’s order and decided to ignore the suspended prison sentence and did not attend her rehabilitation sessions. In addition, she missed a meeting with her probation officer, so she reappeared in court, where the judge granted her one last chance, but with the condition of imposing a 7:00 pm curfew. at 7:00 a.m.
Although Antony maintains that he did the right thing, he was not without criticism. Over time, his anger has decreased and now he just wants to help Ruth get ahead and get over her bitter pill. And you, what would you have done in Antony’s place?