The actions of a woman who went on a shopping spree with a dead man's bank card have been condemned by his devastated family.

Jennifer Dagless discovered Jonathan Wilde dead at his Magdalen Close home last month – before using his account to buy goods while drunk.

Dagless, 31, of Bull Close Road, appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court last week where she pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation dating to May 20.

She was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay �43.98 in compensation and asked for forgiveness for having spent her late friend's money following the hearing.

Dagless described herself as being 'destroyed' and said she was distressed by family worries and had been drinking heavily.

But today Mr Wilde's son Simon and his partner Clare Gray, 30, have hit back at the remarks made by Dagless and the punishment she received.

Mr Wilde, 32, a father-of-two who lives at Marauder Road, off Fifer's Lane, Norwich, said: 'I'm disappointed with the outcome; what she did was pretty sick. It's not much of a deterrent.

'This blame of drink – it's almost like you can do anything and say I was drunk, I hate that. There's no responsibility for your actions.

'She says she's sorry, but who to? There's no empathy for us and what we've been through. She says she's destroyed, but that's how we feel – it's hit us so hard.'

Mr Wilde, a book room assistant at Bertram Books on the Broadland Business Park, said the incident following his father's death on May 19 comes a little more than a year after the death of his brother Peter, aged just 33, following a blood clot on the lung.

Mr Wilde, who himself is recovering after a blood clot was discovered in his leg, said Peter's death, in February last year, hit his father particularly hard.

He said: 'He really found it hard to cope after he lost Peter. He had to go to Hellesdon (hospital) for a little while for a break. He was on quite a few pills for depression and mental health problems and was being looked after by the mental health team in Norwich.'

Mr Wilde, who with his partner had visited his father regularly, struggled to get round to see his father as often recently because of the clot but spoke to him the night before he died.

Although Mr Wilde said his father 'had issues with alcohol' he described him as a 'highly intelligent' family man with a passion for poetry who would do anything to help anyone he could.

He said: 'You can see with the way he was with Jennifer (Dagless). He would look after her and opened up his home to people. He was very, very kind and tried to do what he could to help people.'

Mr Wilde, a former Hellesdon High School pupil, said his father worked in garden maintenance and was fondly referred to as 'granddad digger' by his children Shannon, nine, and Erin, seven.

He was also an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan and loved rock music, particularly by the bands Camel and Thin Lizzy, but also enjoyed walking along the river, seeing views like Cow Tower, and enjoying picnics.

A spokesman for Norfolk police said investigations are still ongoing in connection with the fraud and confirmed one person has been arrested and remains on bail. He added Mr Wilde's death was not believed to be suspicious but said police were assisting the coroner with inquiries.

Would you like to pay tribute to a loved one? Call reporter Peter Walsh on 01603 772436 or email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk