Three new lawsuits filed in connection to Kelowna social worker accused of theft

KELOWNA – A Kelowna social worker accused of defrauding young people in his care is facing three new lawsuits.

The three new lawsuits filed yesterday, Nov. 21, are in addition to a pair of suits filed by youth alleging Robert Riley Saunders siphoned off thousands of dollars in benefits.

Siobhan Stymes was named in at least one of the new lawsuits. She is listed as Saunders' team leader at the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Stymes “did not hold the weekly and monthly consultations with Saunders as required by policy and/or failed to ascertain whether the children assigned to Saunders received appropriate care and failed to ascertain their level of well being,” the statement filed in Kelowna Civil Court on behalf of one claimant stated.

But the document went on to pass responsibility up the line.

“Stymes, as Team Leader, was not properly supervised by a manager and the manager was not properly supervised by the Executive Director,” it states. “The Executive Director was not properly supervised by his supervisors in Victoria.”

Saunders, in the earlier filings, was accused of moving aboriginal youth from their homes into independent housing. He then allegedly opened joint bank accounts where he deposited cheques from the Ministry that were supposed to pay for rent and other living expenses for his clients. He's the said to have taken that money for his own use.

Interior Savings Credit Union was also named in the lawsuits for allowing the joint accounts to be set up.

The offences are alleged to go back a number of years.

Defendants have until next week to file responses to the earlier lawsuits.

One of the earlier claims was filed in Vancouver court where a hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

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