A 42-YEAR-OLD man from Moreton-in-Marsh who stole £46,000 from his stroke-victim dad and spent most of the money on booze, gambling and a Butlin's holiday was jailed for 14 months last week.

Stuart Drinkwater had power of attorney over his father Anthony's affairs and took the money over a five-year period, Gloucester crown court was told.

He was making daily withdrawals of money from three cashpoints in his home town of Moreton the court heard.

Jailing him, the judge, Recorder Don Tait, said: "The message has to go out to other people in your position that whatever the temptation maybe they should not breach the trust imposed on them by holding a power of attorney."

Dad-of-two Drinkwater, of Sunderland Road, Moreton, pleaded guilty of abusing his position to defraud his father of the money between July 4, 2011 and July 27, 2016.

Prosecutor Janine Wood said that in June 2011 Mr Drinkwater senior had a stroke and after discharge from hospital he went into a care home.

He has been left unable to speak.

His two sons took power of attorney over his affairs but in February 2014 the older son also died, leaving the defendant in sole charge of his father's finances.

"The fact that large sums of money were being drawn out came to the attention of the county council benefits team in January 2016," said Mrs Wood.

"An officer was sent details of the bank account and found there had been regular cash withdrawals of up to £250 a day in Moreton-in-Marsh.

"He spoke to the defendant on March 24. The defendant accepted that not all of the money had been for his father or his father's benefit."

When Drinkwater's home was searched, details of 193 cash withdrawals were found. The total misappropriated was £46,061.25.

"He told the police some of the money had gone on a family holiday at Butlin's, Minehead. He said he had used some of the money for his brother when he was ill.

"And he said that after his brother's death he had started drinking and gambling and paying for those habits from his father's account. He said his life got completely out of control."

Drinkwater had no previous criminal convictions, said Mrs Wood.

Joe Maloney, for Drinkwater, said "The death of his brother in 2014 was tragic for the family as a whole and it hit him very hard.

"This is a 42 year old man who has never been in trouble in his life. There are references from customers of the two firms he has worked for saying he is a decent, honest, hard working man. He is held in high esteem.

"He is indeed a decent, hard-working, ordinary person who in extraordinary circumstances did something wrong and he regrets it. He asks the court to be merciful."

The judge told Drinkwater: "It is impossible to know precisely how much of this money you spent on yourself but you developed a drinking and gambling habit and were drawing money in Moreton-in-Marsh on a regular basis.

“This was dishonesty over a long period of time," he added.