A MAN who stole more than £117,000 from his disabled mother, leaving her struggling to pay for her care bills, has been jailed.

Stephen Paul Baker, 49, from Fishpool Road, Delamere, was found guilty of stealing the sum over a number of years by using the money to pay for luxuries for himself.

Appearing at Chester Crown Court on Friday, November 5 for sentencing, Baker was jailed for three and a half years by Judge Simon Berkson.

Prosecuting, Frances Willmott said Baker's mother had multiple sclerosis.

Baker's father had previously dealt with family finances, but passed away in February 2016, leaving no will. It was decided that Baker's mother would inherit the whole estate.

Baker moved in with his mother in Chester, where she required increasing levels of care and she was house-bound.

The care team expressed concern about the use of money which Baker was spending on takeaways and alcohol, and Baker's mother wished to have her bank cards back, as she did not know how much money had gone.

Baker's mother was unwilling to press charges against her son as he continued to spend her money between 2016 and 2019, but she began to build up care debts.

Money that was going into her bank account from her pension and her disability benefit was almost immediately being withdrawn by Baker.

Carers made a number of enquiries to adult social services amid financial abuse concerns.

Police were contacted and they investigated the accounts where Baker had stolen money.

Discounting essential goods and items for Baker's mother's house, the total sum stolen amounted to £117,370.08.

Baker's mother was interviewed, where she explained her late husband dealt with all the finances, and all his money was left to her upon his passing.

She said she expected Baker to buy food and things for the house, not for a mobile phone, a car, trips for himself and other luxuries.

Among the expenses were for iTunes, Breakout Rooms and Paypal, which Baker's mother was not aware of what they were.

Baker, when interviewed, said he was entitled to the money – something he still claimed was the case even on the sentencing date.

Baker had one conviction for driving while unfit through drugs from July 2019.

The court heard it was not possible for Baker's mother to provide a victim impact statement as she was in hospital, but the court heard the spending meant she was having to pay off debts, and had an impact on her standard of living.

"She was in a position where she could have been very comfortable but, because of the defendant's spending money, that has not been possible," Ms Willmott told the court.

Oliver King, defending, said a letter from a GP and a pre-sentence report had confirmed Baker had a number of physical and mental health problems, many of which stemmed from a motorcycle accident he had suffered which forced an end to his job working for the DVLA.

He had a number of problems in his life at the time, with his wife leaving and his daughter going to live with her, before his wife became ill with motor neurone disease (MND). He still cared for her.

"It was perhaps the perfect storm," Mr King told the court.

Mr King added while the majority of the money was spent for Baker's benefit, some of the money was spent for Baker's daughter, for example at a Little Mix concert.

Judge Berkson said Baker's mother required "significant and increasing care" at her home, but she was left nearly unable to pay for that care because of Baker's misuse of her funds.

"Her care was affected by what you did," he told the defendant.

Money had been spent on various items including fishing gear, musical instruments and Ann Summers items.

Judge Berkson added: "She not surprisingly did not find it easy to make a complaint against her only son, but she bravely did so.

"It was sad to see her give evidence via a videolink [during the trial] and when she was cross-examined, fairly and properly, it was clear that her health had deteriorated further.

"You have maintained your innocence and showed no remorse for what you have done.

"I am sure your mother will be sad about will happen today."

Baker was jailed for three and a half years. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing has been scheduled for a future date to assess what ill-gotten gains Baker can repay.

Following the sentencing Detective Constable Rob Mackay, who led the investigation said: “I welcome the sentence handed to Baker which reflects the severity of his offences.

“His mum trusted him and when he returned to the family home she truly believed that he was doing so to care for her. 

“Instead, Baker totally abused her trust and left her with thousands of pounds worth of debt.”