A MAN who took an elderly Cefn Mawr pensioner's bank card drained her account of finances needed to pay for her funeral, a court heard.

Josh Evans claimed he found Dorothy Jones' Natwest debit card at Ruabon Station, but he then used it to make purchases, including buying an iPhone.

When the executors of the pensioner's will discovered her account was down by £4,691 - of which £868.80 was due to fraudulent transactions carried out by Evans - they needed to find money to pay for a send off for the 91-year-old, who passed away four months after the theft.

Prosecutor Rhian Jackson told Wrexham Magistrates' Court that Mrs Jones kept her debit card and PIN in her purse, but family members noticed her account had been cleared of funds and she had gone overdrawn.

Her bank was notified and the card stopped and Evans was tracked down as he had bought and resold the phone from CeX in Wrexham.

It turned out that Evans was the former partner of Mrs Jones' granddaughter, although he had not known of their relationship at the time of the offence.

Evans, 25, now of Kitt Green Road, Marsh Green, Wigan, admitted fraud by false representation at locations throughout Wrexham County Borough between February 14 and April 25, 2016.

He also pleaded guilty to theft by finding of a debit card belonging to Dorothy Jones on February 14, 2016.

The prosecutor added: "Mrs Jones believed that the money would be there when she passed away. But there was a fraud on the account of 4,691.16, of which £868.80 was attributable to the defendant."

When he was interviewed by police, Evans said he found the card on the floor at Ruabon train station and he didn't know who Dorothy Jones was and had never been to her home in Cefn Mawr.

The court heard Evans had been homeless at the time, but had moved away from the Wrexham area to tackle his issues with drink and drugs.

Probation officer Tracey Flavell said: "He has made changes to his life since these offences took place. Drink and drugs have been a problem for him and he has been diagnosed with ADHD and suffered a collapsed lung."

Adrian Evans, defending, said: "He didn't know the victim's vulnerability and says he wants to pay that money back sooner rather than later. He has taken a good look at himself and got himself away from his old associates by moving out of the Wrexham area."

Magistrates sentenced Evans to a 12-month community order during which time he will have to complete 20 days of a rehabilitation activity as well as 160 hours of unpaid work.

He was ordered to pay compensation of £868.80 to Barry Joseph, Mrs Jones' executor, as well as costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £85.