A ‘dishonest’ man fleeced his own dementia-stricken mother out of £65,700 to fund his gambling addiction after he sold her house while she was in a care home.

Dominic Wilkinson betrayed his mother’s trust after he was made the power of attorney for her financial affairs, a judge heard.

The 55-year-old sold his mother’s home for £157,000 before transferring large sums of money into his own account as well as paying into his betting account.

His ruse only come to light when he contacted the council to tell them his mother could no longer afford to pay her private care home fees as she only had £8,000 left in her account.

A member of staff at Hartlepool Borough Council was concerned about the sudden change of circumstances and checked out the pensioner’s finances.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said analysis of his mother’s bank account showed there had been 70 substantial payments to Coral bookmakers over a six-month period as well as transfers of cash into his personal account.

Wilkinson told investigators that his mother was entitled to spend her money how she wanted, including gambling on horse racing, when concerns were raised about his mother’s dwindling finances.

Miss Masters said: “The house was sold for £157,000 in August 2019 and she was concerned to note that by June 2020 her cash had fallen to £8,000, so a financial assessment was carried out.”

The court heard how almost £29,000 in winning bets had been returned to the defendant’s account.

When confronted with the findings, Miss Masters said: “He said she could do whatever she wanted to do with the money, including putting large bets on horse racing if she liked.”

She said Hartlepool Borough Council was still chasing £78,000 in lost care home fees following the death of the defendant’s mother.

Wilkinson, of Rillston Close, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to one count of theft between August 8, 2019, and September 30, 2020.

John Crawford, mitigating, said his client had been badly affected by his mother’s illness and impact that Covid restrictions had on his ability to visit her in the care home.

He said Wilkinson’s gambling problem spiralled out of control as he used his mother’s money to fund his habit.

Recorder Felicity Davies branded the father-of-one’s actions as dishonest after he breached his mother’s trust when he sold her house to fund his gambling addiction.

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“The court has heard how the local authority reports a loss of £78,000 in care home fees that were not paid.

“The local authority has lost a considerable amount of due to your dishonest dealing with you late-mother’s funds,” she said.

“Plainly, there was significant planning when you sold your mother’s house to facilitate this dishonesty.”

Wikinson was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and made subject of a three-month electronically tagged curfew between 7pm and 7am.