LYNSEY Mitchell ‘utterly destroyed’ the lives of two brothers after plundering thousands of pounds from them to spend on lavish hotels and limousines while claiming to be suffering from cancer.

Mitchell, 31, of Booth House, left Derek and Richard Fortune penniless and being chased through civil courts for debts accrued after thieving and conning them jointly out of £149,000.

Her ex-fiance Richard has since suffered a heart attack from the stress and is awaiting a transplant, while last month the family business was gutted in an arson attack.

Before jailing Mitchell for four-and-a-half years, Swindon Crown Court heard how she preyed on the vulnerable technophobes, stealing their bank card, taking out payday loans secured against their family home and completely emptying their savings account.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, detailed 15 counts of fraud and one of theft admitted by Mitchell.

“Derek and Richard Fortune live together in what was their parents' house,” she said.

“They have a frugal lifestyle, and are unsophisticated in the ways of the world. They have not embraced the technological age and until they met this lady were inexperienced in relationships.

“She would tell them she was suffering from life-threatening illnesses including liver disease and cancer and at times was receiving treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. She has not worked since October 2010 and has been receiving benefits.”

The court heard how Mitchell had ploughed £108,000 out of the bank account and savings of Derek Fortune during the course of three years from 2009 to 2012. She set up eBay and PayPal accounts in his name, making transfers into her own account.

When Derek found he was unable to access the accounts she told him she had to go away to the Czech Republic to visit her dying father, who all the while was safe and well in Swindon.

Before she left she took Derek’s bank card so she could sort out the issues with Paypal and never returned it. Police later discovered it in her flat and realised she had found and been using the PIN.

Without the card, Derek Fortune lived on money he had obtained from selling three cars.

In May 2013 he made enquiries with the bank after becoming suspicious. He was told, having had in the region of £90,000 in his bank account, he was now £2,495 overdrawn on his current account and had only eight pence in his savings account.

Mitchell had also been taking out payday loans and catalogue cards in the name of her fiance Richard, including a 256-month loan for £11,995 secured against his home, effectively a mortgage.

Subsequent applications were rejected due to the poor credit rating Mitchell had acquired for Richard after defaults.

“Enquiries revealed the money was being used on limousines and staying in a number of hotels as well as taking friends to concerts and at one stage she was in contact with an estate agent about buying a house,” said Ms Marlow.

“The total loss to Derek Fortune is in the region of £108,000 while the loss to his brother makes up the remainder of the £149,000.”

Derek Fortune permitted a victim impact statement to be read to the court while his brother lay in hospital.

He said: “This money I will never be able to replace and was the savings of my life’s work.

“I am on the point of losing my job where I have worked for 20 years because I have had to take so much time off to visit my brother.

“I fear that if I lose him through ill health I will not have anything worth living for.

“This seems to be a living nightmare which just gets worse.

“Last month our company was subject to an arson attack and was completely gutted. There is nothing left.

“Despite what happens to her today these debts will stay with us, and I can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.”

Rob Ross, defending Mitchell, said: “She has said that in the future if there is any way that she can repay this money she will try as she may. She can only offer her apologies, and she will have to remake a life for herself.”

Judge Peter Blair QC, sentencing, told Mitchell: “You have utterly destroyed the lives of two men, who were vulnerable through their lack of sophistication in the modern world.

“They have months and years of misery ahead of them and you have devastated them with these actions.”

Mitchell was sentenced to three years for theft and 18 months in 11 concurrent sentences for fraud, for a total of four-and-a-half years in prison.