A 'DESPICABLE' man fleeced his ex-partner of £68,000, lying that his mother was dead and that he would pay back the cash out of her estate.

Richard Mountford's lies came unstuck when it was discovered that his mother was very much alive and he had no cash to pay back his victims, who were both former partners.

The 37-year-old was jailed at Worcester Crown Court yesterday for fraud and theft after weaving a web of lies so he could used their cash to fund a life of gambling and drinking, leaving both his victims 'devastated'.

He met his partner in what was then the Brewery Tap in Lowesmoor, Worcester, now called the Flag, and they began a relationship which lasted between 2005 and 2009.

However, even when the relationship ended Mountford carried on staying with his former partner, 71-year-old Charles Hines, who loaned him money on the understanding he would pay it back.

Lal Amarasinghe, prosecuting, said that in 2012 Mountford told Mr Hines that his mother and stepfather had died and he stood to inherit £200,000.

In the meantime Mr Hines continued to loan the defendant money, including for travelling expenses which Mountford said he incurred in claiming his mother's estate.

Between February 2005, when Mountford met Mr Hines in Worcester, and January 2018 he fraudulently received £68,400. Delays in paying Mr Hines back were blamed on 'problems with solicitors'.

Mr Amarasinghe said: "What is most concerning is the statement from the defendant's mother from January this year. She isn't dead at all.

"She is part of the intricate web of lies that have been spun by Mr Mountford, intending Mr Hines to pay him money and prey on his good nature and good will."

He said Mr Hines only earned a small salary but that did not prevent him giving what he had to help Mountford.

Mr Amarasinghe said Mr Hines had got himself into 'severe financial debt' because of the 'loans' to Mountford.

In a victim statement, Mr Hines said Mountford's actions had caused him 'turmoil in many ways, financially and emotionally'.

Mr Amarasinghe said that due to Mountford's limited means and available assets 'there isn't a way that money can be repaid'.

He described the victim as having been 'thoroughly betrayed and used'.

Mountford also carried out a theft against another former partner, Rachel Collier, stealing £11,960 of her inheritance following the death of her aunt.

He had been her partner for between six and seven years, caring for her while she was unwell. She received an inheritance of £21,000 and decided to put it in a Nationwide savings account, giving him between £500 and £1,000.

Mountford was trusted to withdraw money from her account on her behalf using her card, her not believing he would pocket any himself. But he would withdraw £500 a time for himself.

Mr Amarasinghe said that when she checked the account she found it had been 'dissipated' by Mountford. There was just under £12,000 in her account on September 26, 2016. On December 29, 2016 all that was left was £6 and a penny.

When confronted by her, Mountford said he did not want to get the police involved but she interpreted this as an admission of guilt.

Mr Amarasinghe said her victim personal statement showed she was 'devastated' by what the defendant had done and was vulnerable as a result of her medical condition. She had taken him on two holidays before she discovered the theft.

Mr Amarasinghe said: "This is the ultimate betrayal. She says 'I really love Richard. I can't understand how someone can betray you in this way'."

Mountford has had five previous court appearances for seven offences, all matters of dishonesty, although there was a seven year gap in his offending.

Gary Harper, for Mountford, said: "It's a despicable offence. That's not a word I chose. It's a word Mr Mountford has used about himself."

Mr Harper said Mountford, of Westminster Road, Birmingham, had mental health issues including anxiety and depression and had been an inpatient at a psychiatric ward.

He told the judge that Mountford, now a man of 'no means whatsoever', had received a legacy himself of £3,500 at the age of 18 but instead of using the money constructively had caught 'the gambling bug'.

"Winning would make him feel better about his mental health problems. In fairly short order he would start to lose then he would gamble again and then it would become a downward spiral," said Mr Harper.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright jailed Mountford for four years, telling him the impact of his thefts had not just been financial.

The judge said that if Mountford inherits any money when his mother actually dies, those assets can be seized.