A fraudster who stole £210,000 from his ill mother has been jailed.

Gary Adams, from Burgess Hill, took the life savings of mum Dorothy, who was living with advanced vascular dementia, and father Ronald which was in a joint account on January 6, 2015 .

But when his father recovered and was released from hospital, he requested a bank statement which showed the withdrawal of the £210,000.

The case was then investigated by the fraud squad.

Adams, 54, who was power of attorney for his ill dad, was accused of forging Dorothy’s signature to allow him access to the joint account.

Adams, of Keymer Gardens, Burgess Hill, pleaded not guilty to two counts of abuse of position making a fourth instrument fraudulently, one count of fraud by abuse of position and one count of theft.

It was not proven he forged the signature, but he was found guilty by a jury of abusing his position to withdraw funds from the account at a four-day trial at Hove Crown Court in January.

However, he was cleared of the other three charges.

Adams, a delivery driver, was sentenced to 42 months in prison by Judge David Rennie at the same court on Monday.

Adams’s sister, Sharon De Clercq, branded her brother a “disgrace” and was delighted with his sentencing.

Sharon, 50, said: “It’s sad that my own brother would do that to a vulnerable person.

“She didn’t know what was going on. The money was Mum’s life savings and he decided he was going to have that.

“It’s awful to think that he could do this to someone that has raised us and loved us.

“You don’t do that to your parents.

“He knew she had no mental capacity.

“I’m glad, in a way, that she didn’t know that it was happening.”

Mother-of-three Sharon and Dorothy are originally from Brighton.

However, they moved to West Yorkshire with Sharon’s husband and children as well as Ronald shortly after he recovered from his injuries in 2015.

Dorothy, who lived in Sussex her entire life until then, died just before Christmas last year in a nursing home.

Ronald is also living in care.

Sharon said she has never had a close relationship with her brother, however this is the first time he has done something like this.

“I keep asking myself why he did it,” she said.

“I think he saw it as an opportunity.”

The money has since been paid back in full, and Sharon wanted to thank the work of Sussex Police in helping bring her brother to justice.

“They do such a great job,” she said. “The whole thing has gone on for so long.I’m glad it’s over now.”