A MAN who stole nearly £50,000 of his ‘vulnerable’ relative’s inheritance from his dead mother has been jailed for three years.

Simon Roberts spent the money on sex sessions at massage parlours, gambling, paying his own rent and car loans while his victim was left homeless in Weymouth.

The 54-year-old was sentenced at Dorchester Crown Court after admitting stealing £46,615.24 between April 2010 to March 2013.

Prosecutor Carolyn Branford-Wood said the victim, who suffered from learning disabilities and dyslexia, was 21 when his mother died in February 2010. The death left him so distraught healthcare professionals would not let him leave their care unless there was some family support.

The defendant’s wife was his cousin and it was arranged that he would live with them in Yorkshire.

Miss Branford-Wood said Roberts arranged for a joint bank account to be set up for inheritance money to be paid in to.

Roberts did not give his young relative a bank card and, while he would give him money from time to time, he had no access to the account apart from asking the defendant for money.

The complainant eventually moved out, and they all moved to Dorset, with the victim living in Weymouth.

In November 2011 he lost his job and became homeless, staying in his friend’s garage. Roberts told his relative that there was no money left.

A father of one of the victim’s friends became suspicious and raised concerns with the bank. The account was closed and when the victim inherited a further £30,000 from an aunt the bank was alerted to someone trying to withdraw the money.

Dorset Police launched an investigation and Roberts was interviewed.

Miss Branford-Wood said: “Dorset Police looked at documentation that showed Mr Roberts had in short been treating the account as his own for himself."

Investigations showed money had been withdrawn to pay for an online gaming account, to pay the rent for Roberts’ property and to repay a car loan.

The defendant later also admitted to police he had used the account to fund sex sessions at massage parlours as well as further gambling payments.

Richard Tutt, mitigating, said his client’s offending was a result of the ‘twin vices’ of alcohol and gambling.

He added: “He is mortified and disgusted by the hardship that he has caused and his extremely sorry for that.”

Roberts, of Oxford Street, Watford, Hertfordshire expressed his remorse and his intention to pay the money back to his victim.