A callous carer who fleeced two men in their 90s she was supposed to be looking after out of thousands of pounds has been jailed.
Despicable Marie Hylton concocted a story about being attacked by loan sharks to convince a 94-year-old dementia sufferer to hand over a £6,342 to help her.
Newcastle Crown Court heard she linked the same victim's bank details to a Pay Pal account so she could use it to spent his money on herself when she wanted.
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The 42-year-old mum also broke into a 93-year-old's home while he was out with another carer and helped herself to £2,000.
Hylton, of Collingwood Street, Gateshead, admitted making an article for use in fraud, making false representations and burglary and was jailed for 13 months.
Recorder Andrew Smith said Hylton has a "reasonable prospect of rehabilitation" and "may have learned her lesson" but told her: "In my view, such a gross breach of trust against such vulnerable people as those two elderly gentlemen can only be visited by immediate custody".
The judge said the offences, all last year, had a "significant affect" on the victims and Hylton, who he said had a troubled background and financial difficulties, had been "using cocaine to address anxiety and depression" at
the time.
The court heard the 94-year-old victim was in the early stages of dementia but lived independently, with help.
Hylton "spun him a story" about being in debt to loan sharks "who were making threats and carrying out physical violence" and persuaded him to give her a cheque for £6,342.
The money was frozen in Hylton's account when a relative of the victim found out what had happened.
She also set up a PayPal account so she could use the facility to make purchases, with payments coming from his bank.
The court heard the 93-year-old victim had gone out with a carer and realised things had been moved in his home.
Checks revealed £2,000 in cash was gone but there were no signs of a break-in.
Hylton came under suspicion because she was one of the few people who knew the code to a key safe on the outside wall of his home.
She initially denied she was to blame but phone records revealed she had travelled to the break-in by taxi and cash was found in a bag behind back board when police searched her kitchen.
Vic Laffey, defending, said Hylton, who is a mum and had a troubled childhood, made "terrible errors of judgement".
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