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Liam Haydock befriended the 65-year-old victim and offered to help do his shopping during the pandemic. However, a court heard Haydock, 32, blew the cash on Rolex watches, jewellery and mobile phones, which he flogged to fund his £100-a-day cocaine and heroin habit.

He also spent more than £400 in one trip to Asda and treated himself to a hotel stay.

The victim, of Widnes, Cheshire was “stripped clean” as Haydock had wiped out his lump sum pension over six months from April to October this year.

But Halifax bank won’t reimburse him any of the money, because he gave his debit card to Haydock.

Haydock, who has 19 previous convictions for 32 offences include burglaries, handling stolen goods, harassment, theft and shoplifting, was sentenced to three years and nine months in jail yesterday.

Sentencing the yob at Liverpool Crown Court, Recorder Richard Leiper, QC, said: “You pretended to befriend him and offered to go out to buy food for him using his debit card. In fact you took the card and went on shopping sprees.

“The bank will not reimburse him, he’s lost money, he has no family support, he is devastated and he has to worry about his future.”

Haydock had deliberately targeted his neighbour because of his vulnerability, reports Liverpool Echo.

The victim, who lives alone, has mobility issues and difficulties with his “thought process” and “forgetfulness”.

Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said a friend of the victim, who hadn’t seen him for some time until October this year, noticed the man looked “frailer” and was upset.

The victim revealed he thought someone was stealing his money, before the friend heard Haydock shout through the letterbox: “Do you want me to go down to the shops for you?”

Mr Hussey said the victim explained Haydock had offered to get milk and cigarettes for him with his debit card.

He said he could see Haydock wasn’t well off, so had taken “pity” on him and let him buy his own cigarettes and take a little bit of cash too.

His friend was concerned and told him he shouldn’t give his card to anyone, before returning a week later, when the victim was again upset about missing money.

Mr Hussey said the friend challenged Haydock about taking the money, “who denied flatly that he had been doing any such thing and then scurried off”.

The friend then took the man to his bank, where the victim made a “shocking discovery”.

Mr Hussey said: “Instead of there being some £40,000 in his Halifax account, there was £1.83.”

The prosecutor added: “The victim has had his account stripped clean by this defendant.”

When arrested and interviewed by police, Haydock denied any wrongdoing, only to later admit fraud.

Mr Hussey said the victim had “managed to achieve a decent pension, which is now all gone”.

He said: “The police have checked to see whether or not the defendant still has any of the proceeds of his criminal behaviour and there is nothing.

“It would appear he’s used the account in order to purchase these items, particularly the jewellery items, and then sold them on and frittered away the cash.

“There is really nothing to show for a spend of some £40,000 in six months – the victim’s life savings.”

In a heartbreaking statement, the “devastated” victim said: “The bank have said they will not pay the money back as I gave him my card.”

He told the court: “I feel as though I have been taken for a fool. I feel betrayed. I don’t know who I can trust anymore. This upsets me.”

The victim explained he had worked hard all his life, but now wondered why he had bothered.

He said: “What do I have to show for those years? I should be in a position to enjoy myself. How can I now?”

The victim added: “It’s difficult to express just how sad I feel.”

Paul Wood, defending, said Haydock was remorseful and wished to “change his life”.

He said: “He’s got a long standing drug addiction… 26 years of using heroin and crack cocaine. In his words he said they took over his life.

“He’s had periods of being clean and then he’s relapsed and his habit has been significant.

“When he’s been committing these offences he instructs me he’s been using over £100 of Class A drugs a day. These offences have been committed to fund that habit.”

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