'Ruthless' gran is locked up after conning 'vulnerable' pensioner out of more than £35,000

Julia Brennan was also part of a £17,300 fraud on the same victim carried out with her younger brother Timothy Hale, a 56-year-old builder.

He was jailed at an earlier hearing, while she was remanded on bail for pre-sentence and psychiatric reports.

Hale targeted Ken Morris while project managing the construction of a £30,000 garage at the home of the 71-year-old, who is hard of hearing and also has failing sight.

The victim had a long standing resentment over his failure to get his money back after spending £19,500 on a Mercedes that turned out to be stolen.

He was awarded compensation and even had a charge on the home of the seller but had not received a penny 10 years later.

He explained the situation to Hale who – realising that his unmarried client was wealthy – offered to get him a solicitor for £17,300 back in 2012, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Mr Morris told the jury during a trial of the pair that he was given the impression that Brennan – who actually had no legal training at all – was the 'lawyer' when introduced to her by Hale.

The victim gave her the 'fee' in two instalments while her co-defendant found a legitimate solicitor who took control of the case – at a cost of £3,925.

Hale pocketed the difference together with a further £3,000 collected in 2014 by pretending it was needed to evict the man who sold the stolen Mercedes. He had already moved out.

Meanwhile Brennan, aged 58, systematically took over £35,000 more cash from Mr Morris in a six-month period, suggesting it was a 'loan' that would be repaid from damages she expected for a dog bite.

He did not get a penny.

Both defendants were found guilty in the £17,300 'solicitor' fraud, while Brennan was further convicted in relation to the 'loan' deception while Hale was separately found guilty of the £3,000 'eviction' swindle. All charges had been denied.

Recorder John Edwards said yesterday when sentencing Brennan, from Cockshed Lane, Halesowen, who had 27 previous convictions involving 60 separate offences: "You have a bad record of dishonesty and both you and your brother embarked on a ruthless exploitation of Mr Morris.

"You saw him as a soft touch and inveigled your way into his life."

Hale, of Farm Road, Rowley Regis, was jailed for 30 months at the earlier hearing.