A dad looted his teenage son's £38,000 inheritance and spent it on drink, drugs, and a holiday, a court was told.
Daniel Caulfield's mother had set up a savings fund for her grandson to be given to him when he turned 18 and he intended to use the money to pay for university.
However, after the grandmother died Caulfield became a trustee for the accounts - and quickly spent the money, Wales Online reports.
In 2010, Caulfield's mother put money into a National Savings and Investments accounts for her grandson, Caulfield's estranged son, Swansea Crown Court heard.
Helen Randall, prosecuting, explained the woman died in 2015 by which time there was £38,167.99 in the account. As the beneficiary of the account was not yet 18, Caulfield and his sister became joint trustees of the fund. However, unknown to his sibling, Caulfield emptied the accounts and spent all the money.
The court heard that when the teenager turned 18 he wrote to his father and aunt asking for the money but his father replied that there was none left and he had spent it all on drugs and alcohol.
Police were alerted and in his subsequent interview at Llanelli police station 38-year-old Caulfield admitted the wrongdoing and said he was sorry. In an impact statement read the the court the teenage victim said he had planned to use to money to go to university or to put it towards buying a house.
Giving the defendant a one-third discount for his guilty plea the judge sentenced him to 20 months in prison suspended for two years and ordered him to complete a 240 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation course.
Caulfield broke down in tears in the dock as the sentenced was passed.
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