A COCAINE addict plundered her grandmother's life savings on drugs for herself and her husband.

Elizabeth Nichols, 84, was duped by Victoria Hawley who stole her bank card from her purse.

Hawley then secretly accessed her disabled Uncle James' account to bring the total stolen to more than £4,000. The cash was to buy drugs for herself and her husband, Paul.

The money was reported missing when widowed Mrs Nichols discovered a list of payments on her bank statement that she could not account for.

Hawley's father, Steve, 45, of Washington, Wearside, discovered what his daughter was doing and made her confess in front of her grandmother.

Hawley, 27, a mother-of-two, of Gateshead, appeared before Newcastle Crown Court and was given a deferred sentence for six months after she admitted eight charges of theft, five of deception and asked for 24 other offences to be taken into consideration.

She had stolen £3,184 from Mrs Nichols and another £1,111 from her 53-year-old uncle, who has multiple sclerosis.

Mrs Nichols said: "Victoria has always lived in the same street as me and she was always at my house as she was growing up.

"She was a lovely girl and would never do anything wrong. She has got into the wrong company and this has changed her."

Judge Guy Whitburn said: "These were mean offences. It is a bad case of breach of trust."

Hawley who lives a few doors from her grandmother, said: "I've spoken to my grandmother and she has been great about the whole thing. She says she has forgiven me and that is the main thing in my mind."