A man entrusted to look after the bank account of an elderly relative with Alzheimer's has been jailed after stealing more than £10,000.

Darren Humphries, 57, and his then partner were jointly given power of attorney over the affairs of her elderly aunt who went into a care home with dementia in 2014. 

Norwich Crown Court heard he secretly used a bank card to make regular £50 to £250 withdrawals from the aunt’s account over many years, even after the couple split up.

Prosecutor Martin Ivory said his thefts were discovered when his by then former partner tried to use a cash machine in September 2019 and found the maximum daily amount had already been withdrawn.

“She was very surprised and it appears large sums had been withdrawn over a lengthy period without her knowledge,” he added.

A police investigation found he had helped himself to at least £10,000, though the total amount could be more as earlier withdrawals could not accurately be calculated by NatWest bank. 

When arrested in March 2020, Humphries, of Newton Street in Newton St Faiths, initially told officers he did not still have a bank card for the account but a search discovered it hidden in a drawer at his home.

His defence counsel told the court the cash had not been used to fund a “lavish lifestyle” as he had been living in a caravan following an acrimonious break-up and had been unable to work due to ill health.

He had “shown real and genuine remorse” and a confiscation order will mean he has to pay back £11,000, the court was told.

Jailing him for 12 months, Judge Anthony Bate told Humphries: “You helped yourself to cash belonging to an elderly aunt with Alzheimer's.

“You raided her account on a number of occasions in breach of the high degree of trust that you had been placed in”.