TWO men who defrauded a pensioner of more than £70,000 between them have been jailed.

Bryan Allaker, 24, and John Munroe, 37, both of County Durham, admitted taking the money from the 81-year-old-man.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that Allaker, of Charlotte Street, South Moor, Stanley, began to falsely cash cheques from John Collins in 2003.

Mr Collins lived alone in James Street, Stanley, and suffered from arthritis and poor eyesight.

His next-door neighbour, the partner of Allaker's uncle, Christian Allaker, used to do his shopping for him and paid his bills.

Ian Graham, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Collins was "thrifty" and bought all his clothing from charity shops.

When he fell ill in October 2004 and was taken to hospital, a man phoned his building society, claiming to be Mr Collins, and asked for money to be paid into the account of Bryan Allaker, who the caller claimed was Mr Collins' grandson.

Cheques were instead sent to Mr Collins's home in his name.

Mr Allaker cashed them at a shop in Sunderland using a false letter of identification.

By December 2004, £55,922 had been taken from Mr Collins' Global Investors and National Savings accounts and £20,000 had gone from his Co-Op account.

The fraud came to light on Mr Collins's death in March 2005.

Nick Cartmell, defending Allaker, said he took part at the request of his uncle.

Mr Cartmell said: "Mr Collins was his uncle and aunt's neighbour, who they had befriended and helped with another motive in mind.

He said his client was sorry and offered to pay the sum back at £20 per week.

When Allaker stopped taking part, his uncle went to Munroe, who agreed to receive a cheque worth £6,000, the court heard.

None of the money was ever recovered.

Allaker was sentenced to two years in prison for 11 counts of the possession of criminal property, four of acquiring ciminal property and one of using a false instrument.

Munroe, a joiner of Dorset Crescent, Consett, was given a 12-month conditional discharge on a charge of acquiring criminal property.

He was jailed for a year for separate offences of racially aggravated harassment, assaulting a police officer and obstructing police in March this year.