A TAXI driver who conned a vulnerable disabled woman out of her £43,000 life savings has been jailed for the "grotesque and manipulative" theft.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Christopher Owen, 48, of Fieldview Close, Penarth used the money to fund a "lavish lifestyle" and going on foreign holidays as well as supporting a spiralling gambling addiction.

The court also heard how his victim Dilys Jones, 62, had been forced to accept donations from a food bank after being stripped of every penny of her £43,281 savings over the course of nine months.

Miss Jones has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, walks with a stick and has a disabled arm and hand. The court heard that emotionally she was an "exceptionally vulnerable person".

Before the thefts began taking place Miss Jones had known Owen for 14 years and considered him a "kind and helpful" taxi driver.

Owen, who was working for Penarth's Cab 64 firm, would regularly pick up Miss Jones and take her shopping when, in March 2014, he began to take money from her by using her cash card, cheque book and transferring money out of her bank account.

She only became aware of the deception when she was informed that her bank account had been emptied entirely.

Prosecutor Matthew Evans told the court that after his arrest Owen had made unsuccessful attempts to get a fellow taxi driver to lie about also having to access to Miss Jones' bank cards and even turned up at her Redlands House flat "declaring his love for her" in an attempt to get her to withdraw the charges, something the vulnerable woman then tried to do.

Initially Owen denied the charges. Later, as the case was being prepared for trial, he pleaded guilty to three charges of theft, 14 charges of fraud and one charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Defending Owen, Kevin Seal said that his client had since come to accept that what he had done to Miss Jones was "despicable" saying he felt "complete shame" and "if it were possible he would turn the clock back".

Mr Seal told the court that Owen's life had began to spiral out of control after the death of his father. It was then that he began to drink and gamble to excess.

He said that he had planned on replacing Miss Jones' stolen money with casino winnings.

"His thought he would make some money, pay her back and no one would lose out," said Mr Seal. "But he lost thousands and thousands of pounds not only of Miss Jones' money but also of his own."

He told the court that Owen had come to see that he had taken a "dramatic fall from grace" from being a trusted and respected member of the community to a self described "monster".

Judge Eleri Rees said that she was particularly struck by just how vulnerable Miss Jones' came across in police interview recordings.

She said: "It is painful to watch Miss Jones struggle with the emotional turmoil. What you have done to her has caused her real hardship, not only in monetary terms but also in her feeling of self worth.

"This was a gross abuse of her vulnerability, her generosity and her trusting nature."

Talking about Owen's attempt to persuade a colleague to lie on his behalf, Judge Rees said: "This is consistent with a pattern of you trying to throw the blame on to others.

"You even confronted Miss Jones herself and tried to prey on her emotions."

Judge Rees went on to say that Owen's expressions of remorse rang hollow to her.

She sentenced Owen to a total of three and a half years in prison, of which he is expected to serve half in custody. He was also issued with a restraining order to prevent any further contact with Miss Jones.