Pelsall man stole £12,000 from elderly stepbrother

A thief from Pelsall plundered the post office account of his dementia suffering 71-year-old stepbrother, leaving him near penniless and unable to afford basic toiletries, a court heard.

John Rudd, aged 58, stole more than £12,000 from the account of John Homer, who lives at Lakeview Nursing Home in Great Wyrley.

A court heard yesterday that pension credits and disability living allowance were being paid into his account but he could not even afford to buy toiletries because Rudd was withdrawing the cash.

Mr Warren Stanier, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court that Rudd had access to his stepbrother's account card and pin number and made dozens of withdrawals between October 2009 and October 2011.

Staff at the nursing home contacted Rudd over their concerns about the lack of money being offered to support Mr Homer and a social worker eventually visited Rudd's address.

Rudd, of Martley Road, admitted withdrawing the cash because he was facing financial difficulties and it was reported to police.

"On 41 separate occasions this defendant made cash withdrawals from the victim's account," Mr Stanier said. "This was a vulnerable victim."

He said Rudd took everything from the account each time he withdrew money between October 2009 and December 2010 but there was an eight-month gap before he started to make withdrawals again.

Rudd, who admitted theft, withdrew £12,319.45 from Mr Homer's account.

Ms Samantha Crabb, mitigating, said: "This is a classic example of someone succumbing to temptation."

She said Rudd was wearing a heart monitor due to a health condition and had appointments at Walsall Manor Hospital for check-ups this week.

Judge John Warner decided to delay the sentencing to allow Rudd to attend the appointments, but told him: "At the moment, the overwhelming likelihood is you will receive an immediate custodial sentence."

Rudd is due to be sentenced on July 3.

By Lisa O'Brien