A man who stole more than £30,000 from his grandmother while she was in hospital has been sent to prison.

Daniel Westbury, 29, of Keyes Avenue, Chatham, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday, June 17, where he was sentenced to 20 months for theft, having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

Investigations by Kent Police found Westbury had visited his grandmother in hospital after she was admitted for a fall shortly before Christmas in 2013.

Worried she may miss paying some of her bills, she entrusted Westbury with her bank card and PIN number and asked him to pay them on her behalf.

But instead, Westbury and his partner, Tracey Hallam, 30, also of Keyes Avenue, Chatham, transferred £34,000 to Hallam’s bank account and used it to redecorate their home and buy an expensive new television.

"Other than a new TV, a second-hand car and a freshly decorated home, they had nothing of real value to show for their deception – they wasted money they had no right to spend" - Detective Constable Mark Silk

They also shared some of the money with Hallam’s sister, Mikaela Hallam, 26, of Symons Avenue, Chatham, buying her a car, its tax and insurance.

Over the following months, money transfers continued from the pensioner’s account into Hallam’s account – usually immediately after her pension was paid in.

As panic set in, Tracey Hallam set up a £50 a week direct debit in May to put money back into the victim’s account – but withdrawals were still being made from ATMs and transfer’s back into Hallam’s account.

At the same time, Tracey had begun refusing to lend Mikaela money who in turn defrauded her sister by using her bank account details to fund her online gambling habit.

Westbury and Hallam, both unemployed, had boasted about redecorating their home and buying a new TV, and in the summer of 2014 the victim became suspicious of her grandson's extravagant spending.

When she checked her account, she found more than £30,000 of her savings had vanished and, with the help of a neighbour, contacted the police who arrested Westbury and the Hallam sisters.

Sentenced at the same time as Westbury, Tracey Hallam received 16 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, while Mikaela Hallam received a 28 week sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Both women are also subject to curfews and supervision orders.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Mark Silk said: "Westbury and Tracey Hallam took advantage of a vulnerable family member and systematically drained funds from her bank account while she lay in hospital being treated for a nasty fall.

"Other than a new TV, a second-hand car and a freshly decorated home, they had nothing of real value to show for their deception – they wasted money they had no right to spend.

"At no point did they admit their wrong-doings until they were caught."