A HEROIN addict has been jailed after preying on a vulnerable pensioner to pay off her £400 debt to drug dealers.

Carla Rooney befriended the 91-year-old but betrayed his trust when she started fleecing the well-loved grandfather out of his money after stealing a key to his Billingham home.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 37-year-old mother of two initially borrowed £20 off her victim but kept returning for more cash by letting herself into his home and rifling through the pockets of his clothing after creeping into his bedroom at night as he slept.

The court heard Rooney had received a caution in June this year for burgling the pensioner and stealing £20 but with days she had targeted the vulnerable pension a further two times to steal cash and bank cards.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said Rooney had used the victim’s bank cards to buy cigarettes and tobacco from a service station in Wolviston in the early hours of July 5 – racking up a bill of more than £50.

She said the pensioner's family became concerned about his wellbeing. "The victim's son improved security at his home but on the evening he went into his bedroom to check if the £20 was still present and whether his bank cards were still there," she said. "He then put his trousers over the chair and went to bed.

"When he awoke he checked for his wallet and found the £20 had gone and found his bank cards on the kitchen floor."

Rooney, of Sidlaw Road, Billingham, pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary and two of fraud.

In a pre-sentence report, the defendant told a probation officer of her ‘shame’ and disgust’ at her behaviour.

The court heard how the defendant has a seven-month-old baby and was being threatened by the drug dealers to settle her bill.

At one point Rooney went to the flat of one of the men to carry out some cleaning to reduce her bill but she was locked into the flat where she was threatened and abused.

The report said: "They asked her to do sexual favours for them and others but she refused, she wasn't getting into prostitution."

She accepted that she had turned the 'gentleman's world upside down' and was disgusted that her life had come to the point where she was stealing off a pensioner to fund her drug habit.

Kelleigh Lodge, mitigating, said Rooney had shown genuine remorse for her actions and was ashamed of the impact they had on the victim and his family.

She said: "I cannot stress enough the genuine remorse for her offences and the impact that they had on him and his family.

Judge Peter Armstrong sentenced Rooney to two concurrent 20 month terms in prison for the the burglaries and a further two four-month concurrent sentences for fraud.

He said: "You took advantage of him and breached his trust in the relationship whereby he allowed you to go into his home and you went in and took money from his home.

"You obtained yourself a back door key and subsequently let yourself back commit burglary, to let yourself in and go into his bedroom at night to take cash, all to pay drug dealers.

"You have taken bank cards and used them on two occasions – these are very serious offences.

"The impact on the victim and his family has been immense. The victim clearly was vulnerable and you targeted him."