A woman who helped her father cheat a pensioner out of his life savings leaving him ruined has escaped a jail sentence.

Emma Mitchell, 28, of Royal George Road, Burgess Hill, helped her father Sam, 51, of the same address, to con widower Leonard Heal out of more than £93,000.

Mr Heal, 80, took out loans totalling £80,000 to pay extortionate fees charged by Mr Mitchell for roofing work that did not need to be carried out.

Some of the money was paid into Miss Mitchell's bank account.

Eventually Mr Heal had to sell his bungalow in Haywards Heath and move away from Sussex.

At Hove Crown Court yesterday Miss Mitchell was sentenced to a 200-hour community punishment order.

Speaking after the trial, Detective Constable Sue MacCullen-Stewart, who led the investigation, said: "They don't come much worse than this.

"I don't think Sam Mitchell thought he was going to be investigated. Maybe he convinced himself he wasn't doing anything wrong because he was keeping Mr Heal company and sharing a cup of tea with him."

The scam was unearthed when Mr Heal admitted to his daughter that he did not have enough money for Christmas presents.

Emma Mitchell was convicted last month of assisting in the retention of the proceeds of criminal conduct and facilitating the retention, use or control of criminal property.

Judge Michael Lawson spared her a custodial sentence because it was a first offence and he said she had been acting under her father's influence.

Sam Mitchell was jailed for seven years. The pair will be back in court later this year at a hearing to seize assets bought with the proceeds of crime.