A WEALTHY couple who were jailed after being found guilty of defrauding an elderly relative, have been cleared by top judges.

Richard John Pennock, 66, was locked up for three years and his 47-year-old wife Angela for 18 months at Teesside Crown Court in January last year, after they were found guilty of swindling 90-year-old ex-serviceman, George Spann, out of £100,000.

But their convictions have now been quashed by judges sitting at London's Criminal Appeal Court, who said they were 'unsafe'.

The court heard Mr Pennock, a multi-millionaire, and his wife, both of Chancery Rise, Thornaby, had met Mr Spann - her great-uncle, who lived in New Zealand - once when he was visiting the UK.

In 2009, he decided to move to the UK and the couple bought a bungalow in Thornaby for Mr Spann and Mrs Pennock's father to live in, using £100,000 of Mr Spann's money and £135,000 of their own cash.

The couple later transferred the title of the property into their daughter's name and the court heard that, at that stage, their lawyers said they made an attempt to repay the £100,000 to Mr Spann through their solicitors.

Mr and Mrs Pennock each denied two counts of fraud, but were convicted by the jury on a majority verdict of 10-to-2.

However, their convictions were quashed by the Appeal Court judges, who said mistakes in the phrasing of the charges and the trial judge's directions to the jury rendered them unsafe.

Clearing both Mr and Mrs Pennock of any wrongdoing, the judge said: "They have both served a considerable part of their sentences, Angela Pennock has served the entirety of the custodial part of her term and Richard Pennock is about two thirds of the way through.”

Lawyers for Mr and Mrs Pennock told the court steps have been taken to repay the £100,000 to Mr Spann.