A fraudster who posed as a fake solicitor to scam a retired nurse out of nearly £250,000 has been jailed.
Shahbaz Quershi, 30, blew the money on gambling after he promised to help the 78-year-old woman after she lost money on a bad investment.
The scammer wore a fake watch and promised to even take her case to the High Court to help her reclaim the lost money.
Over 18 months, he stole £236,955 from her.
Detectives were able to prove he gambled away all of the money - and spent up to £50,000 a day on betting websites.
Today, Queshri admitted fraud and he was jailed today for five years and four months at Birmingham Crown Court.
He made friends with the pensioner after she made a bad investment while trying to help her disabled son move into special accommodation so he could live more independently, a court heard.
Whenever she was hesitant to hand over money, Quershi would send fake messages pretending to be from the head of the solicitor's company and insinuated that bailiffs may be forced to recover unpaid fees.
The court heard he also lied about having a cancerous brain tumour and needing cash to pay for his grandmother's medical care in Pakistan after she was involved in a car crash.
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The victim's son died before Queshri was brought to justice which resulted in her remortgaging her home.
In a statement, the woman's family said: "The impact of this man's actions on the whole family has been massive, she suffered two years of anxiety, sleepless nights and worry.
"We almost had to sell her house to pay off the debts the fraud caused and we'll never get back all of my grandmother's jewellery he made her pawn.
"Her son died in the midst of this case and she's struggled to come to terms with it all.
"He is responsible for destroying her retirement as a long-serving member of the NHS as a retired nurse."
Detective Sergeant Jason Fowler, of West Midlands Police, said: "This has been a long complex investigation for me and my team.
"Sadly the victim was groomed by him over many months in order to get her to part with her life savings.
"The ordeal Queshri put the woman and family through is truly sickening and despite the prison sentence, it will never be enough for the victim and her family.
"He has ruined her life and her old age where she should be relaxing and enjoying herself."
