A WAR veteran was beaten up, driven to attempt suicide and bled of his life savings after he was befriended by a crazed drug addict.

Ivor Applegarth, 81, was left a broken man after he allowed homeless John Robins to move into his house for six months, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.

The 18-year-old systematically abused the pensioner, took more than £12,000 from him and held a pillow over his head three times, leaving the war veteran believing he was about to die.

Mr Applegarth, who treated Robins like a grandson, was so distraught by the treatment that he thought about killing himself and even wrote several suicide notes.

He was only saved from further abuse after friends and family raised concerns when the pensioner was seen with bruises and Robins' mother took the pensioner into her home to protect him.

Peter Makepeace, prosecuting, said the defendant and his victim shared a strong and contradictory relationship.

He told the court: "He (Robins) exploited the complainant mercilessly, both financially and emotionally. He slowly but surely sapped the complainant of his life savings."

The court heard that Robins, who had befriended Mr Applegarth in a Hartlepool street in June last year, took all of his victim's savings, amounting to £8,000, and encouraged him to borrow from his family.

The complainant, who suffers from confusion and memory loss, was also reduced to cashing in an insurance policy worth more than £3,000, which Robins used to feed his heroin addiction.

The court heard that in one incident, Robins was angry after he found the suicide notes and punched the pensioner and placed a pillow over his head as he struggled for breath.

Mr Makepeace said: "He said to the complainant 'if you want to go, you will go now'. He wanted the complainant to believe he was going to be killed.

"The elderly man went from a proud and independent gentleman to a somewhat pitiful figure."

Robin Denny, defending, said Robins' drug addiction was venomous and had a damaging effect on him.

He said Robins thought of Mr Applegarth as a grandfather and was deeply remorseful.

Robins, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for a number of offences, including threats to kill, theft, assault, burglary, robbery, and false imprisonment.

An attempted murder charge was dropped.