A MAN who plundered his dementia-ridden father’s finances, blowing the lot on gambling, has been jailed for two years and four months.

Paul Keen abused his position of holding power of attorney over the elderly man to empty his bank accounts of £80,161 in 17 months.

Keen, 54, cashed in his father’s ISAs and even pocketed much of his pension, leaving the well-off man overdrawn when he died.

As a result Keen’s own sons each missed out on £5,000 legacies and his brother was cheated of the £33,000 left to him by his dad.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court: “This is really quite simple insofar as the defendant had power of attorney over his elderly father’s estate.

“As his elderly father deteriorated and moved in to a care home he took complete control of his father’s finances.

“There seems to have been a significant estate: he used it all. He cashed in ISAs and spent that. Then he diverted the greater part of his father’s pension into his own hands.It all went on gambling. It has all gone. The account was in fact overdrawn by the time the police caught up with it.

“The father’s will stipulated that the defendant’s own sons should receive £5,000 each. His brother should receive £33,000 and he a similar amount. Of course, it is all gone.”

Although the defendant reported the matter to the police himself, it was only after there was nothing left to take.

Mr Meeke said his brother admitted to being slightly estranged from his father and trusted the defendant as he thought his gambling problem had been tackled years ago.

Keen, of Burden Close, admitted fraud between March 2015 and the end of August last year.

Caghli Taylor, defending, said her client, who is full of shame, had a long-standing gambling problem which led to his family putting him in rehab in 2010.

She said although he took a huge sum of money a large part of it was destined for him in the form of the £33,000 in his dad’s will.

As a result of what he had done she said his 34-year marriage had collapsed and one of his sons was now not talking to him. One of the fortunate aspects of the case, she said, was that his father was unaware of what was happening as he was in a care home, which was paid for.

He was again seeking the help of Gamblers Anonymous and is now determined to conquer the addiction once and for all.

During the period of offending she said he also repaid some of what he took when he had wins, but ultimately lost it all as he chased his losses.

When he becomes 55 in January next year he will be able to draw his £65,000 pension and can use that to settle some of what he took.

Passing sentence, Judge Robert Pawson said: “You did a really pretty dreadful thing Mr Keen.

“You were granted power of attorney over your elderly father’s estate and over the course of about 17 months you defrauded your father’s estate out of a little over £80,000.

“You cashed in ISAs, you diverted a large part of your father’s pension and your brother as a consequence did not inherit about £33,000. And your sons have lost out on another £10,000.”