A WAR veteran in his 90s says he has been left “a broken man” after his cleaner defrauded him of £13,500.

Caroline Fyfield, 58, of Linden Avenue, Orrell, pleaded guilty to false representation after reports a chequebook and cash were stolen from a 94-year-old man to make payments.

She was sentenced to 15 months behind bars on Thursday, April 26 at Bolton Crown Court.

The victim, William Potts, from Moss Bank, say he has since moved from his own home and into a residential home due to the crime, which took place over a 10-month period.

William claimed the fraud left him feeling like a “broken man”.

The great granddad-of-three, now 96, who served in the Royal Artillery in Burma during the Second World War, said: “I had a life – she took it from me.

“This has led to the loss of my confidence and I can’t sleep, I just can’t put it into words.

“I gave six years of my life fighting for people like her, but for the first time in my life I feel like a broken man because of Caroline Fyfield.”

His daughter Yvonne Anders, aged 72 and from Laffak, said: “I’m so pleased that justice was served so she cannot hurt others.

“She was a cleaner and stole his chequebook, cashing cheques up to £13,500 over 10 months.

“She got her just deserves because what she did took his confidence away.

“He doesn’t want to go out and was fearful of living alone and had to go into residential home.

“The upsetting thing for him is that if she had asked for money he says he would have helped her, because we knew her family well.

“Like he said, he gave six years of his life fighting for people like her in the Second World War and she has taken the confidence he had away by what she has done.

“I feel like it’s tainted his last years with us, he was very independent before.

“This has completely devastated the whole family and I know the dad I have now is less confident.

“But at least this sentencing has made him feel a bit better and put this horrible matter to bed.”

Constable Jill Scott from the Fraud Investigation Team at Greater Manchester Police, said: “Caroline was known to the family and she was employed to help clean and shop for the elderly victim in the latter stages of his life.

“She took advantage of Bill’s kind nature and during the investigation it became apparent that she went to great lengths to disguise her offending by hiding bank statements for over a year.

“She has shown absolutely no remorse whatsoever throughout these proceedings and a custodial sentence was the right decision.

“This type of offence will not be tolerated, particularly on elderly or vulnerable members of our community.

“The police will do everything within their powers to bring these offenders to justice.”