A WOMAN who “calculatingly and deceitfully” stole more than £5,000 from a vulnerable man’s savings has been jailed for four years.

Rebecca Giles, aged 32, of Bettws, Newport, had used the money to make personal ends meet while living on benefits.

She threatened to make bogus claims that her victim was a paedophile and had committed sexual assault if he did not hand over the money.

Giles appeared at Newport Crown Court on Friday for sentencing after being found guilty of blackmail after a previous trial last month.

Judge Daniel Williams said she had shown “no remorse” for her actions during that trial.

The court heard that Giles forced her victim to visit cashpoints at night to withdraw money, sometimes taking as much as £500 a month.

Giles was arrested after being spotted by staff of a building society trying to make her victim withdraw £350 from the cashpoint.

In a statement read in court by prosecutor Roger Griffiths, the victim said: “I was vulnerable and she took full advantage of me to take as much money as possible.

“She knew what she was doing and she was very calculating and deceitful. She threatened me with the most depraved and sick threats she could come up with.

“I lost thousands of pounds and I now find I am worried and watching what I spend.

“I became extremely frightened and trapped within my own home. She has given me a life sentence of stress.”

Sarah Waters, defending, said her client had accepted her “deplorable” offences and that the money stolen became “bigger and bigger” towards the end.

“Fortunately the amounts taken over £5,000 have not been financially disastrous for the victim,” she said.

“She wanted to pay it back at a rate of £5 a month. I told her that was unrealistic but she made the offer.”

The court heard that Giles had struggled with drink and drugs problem following a previous relationship.

Ms Waters added: “She needed to make ends meet while living on benefits, which could be a motive for the offences but is no excuse for what she did.”

Prior to sentencing Giles for her , Judge Williams told Giles she had a “vile nature” and described her towards her victim as “depraved and sick”.

“You demanded money from him. You threatened to expose him as a paedophile,” he said.

“He was always vulnerable to your aggressive and demanding bullying. You feel no remorse for targeting this frail man using vile threats to take his savings.

“Your lack of any form or remorse during this trial was startling.”

A restraining order preventing Giles from making contact with her victim was granted by Judge Williams.

Giles was also handed a two-month concurrent sentence after pleading guilty to a single charge of assault after attacking a custody detention officer in January.