A gambling addict who stole his elderly neighbour's life savings to fund his habit has had his sentencing adjourned until next year.
Jeffrey Foster, 44, stole more than £90,000 from Stuart Liversedge over a period of around two months between May and July last year.
Foster, of Kensington Place, Burnley, appeared at Preston Crown Court last week to be sentenced, but after the prosecution and defence arguments were heard, sentencing was adjourned to this week (Wednesday, September 25).
This was because Judge Andrew Jeffries needed evidence that Mr Liversedge had moved into a care home due to health issues unrelated to the incident and that his money had been reimbursed by the bank.
The officer in charge of the case was away so this evidence could not be obtained on the day.
Foster, having been remanded into custody, appeared again at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday but sentencing was adjourned again, this time until January 10, 2025.
He was released on conditional bail, with the requirements to refrain from gambling and to try and gain lawful employment.
Last week, the court heard how Foster used Mr Liversedge's details to create an online banking account - something Mr Liversedge did not know about or consent to as he did not know how online banking worked.
Foster initially took out a large sum and transferred it to his account before regular payments of around £500 were transferred over the course of the offending.
Mr Liversedge only became aware something was wrong when he went to the Santander branch in Burnley to withdraw money and was unable to because his account was empty.
Foster was convicted at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on August 8 on one count of fraud by false representation.
In a statement, Mr Liversedge said he felt "sad, disappointed, mad, and betrayed."
He added: "I trusted Jeff and relied solely on him helping me out. He betrayed my trust and took my money which I worked all my life for.
"I try to not remember or think about what happened to me."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here