A Suffolk man who defrauded his mother of £100,000 and left her with just 99p in the bank has been jailed for four years.

Guy Belsom blew the money on jewellery, clothes, handbags, holidays, online shopping and refurbishing his home.

Judge John Devaux said Belsom had had lasting power of attorney for his mother Audrey Belsom, who lived in a residential care home after suffering a stroke and being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The court heard that Belsom’s dishonesty left her with a balance of just 99p and social services had ended up funding her care for more than three years.

Judge Devaux said the £160,000 proceeds from the sale of Mrs Belsom’s house should have been available to pay her care home fees for up to six years.

Laura Kenyon, prosecuting, said that although £51,000 was spent on care home fees £100,000 was misappropriated by Belsom.

The court heard that when Belsom, who has a brother and two sisters, was asked about the missing money he claimed he had spent it on holidays, clothing and days out for his mother.

However, Miss Kenyon claimed some of the missing money was spent on refurbishing Belsom’s home while £30,00 was spent on clothing, jewellery, handbags and purchases from Amazon.

Belsom, 61, formerly of Brandon, admitted fraud between October 2013 and May 2016 by using his mother’s funds for his own and his family’s benefit while he had a lasting power of attorney.

Judge Devaux made a nominal £1 confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act after hearing that Belsom, now of Summerwood Estate, Great Massingham, Norfolk, was living in rented accommodation and had no assets.

Ian James, for Belsom, said his client had no previous convictions and was his disabled wife’s carer during the commission of the fraud, with some of the money being spent on modernising his home to make things better for her.

He said Mrs Belsom, who died in December last year, had been unaware of what had happened to her money and didn’t have the anguish of knowing her son had been stealing from her.