A BARROW man has admitted syphoning £43,000 from his mum's bank account.

Jamie Humphrey pleaded guilty to stealing the cash over a period of seven months when he appeared at Preston Crown Court on Monday.

The 31-year-old was arrested in December after trashing his mum Ann's home in Farm Street on Barrow Island.

Mrs Humphrey had refused to let her son into her home after discovering he had been stealing money from her.

When Mrs Humphrey would not allow him inside her house her son then gained entry by damaging the door. He also damaged her TV and also threw a number of family photographs into her fire.

After she called police for help Mrs Humphrey also reported he had been taking cash from her Barclays bank account.

Mrs Humphrey, who suffered from medical conditions which left her anxious about going outside, had trusted her son to access her bank account to pay her bills.

She estimated he had stolen around £40,000 from her but when he was interviewed by police Humphrey admitted the amount was closer to £56,000.

He first appeared at South Cumbria Magistrates' Court on February 13, represented by Mike Graham, but did not indicate a plea.

He was granted conditional bail preventing him from contacting his mother or entering the front or rear of Farm Street.

At Preston Crown Court on Monday Humphrey, of Ship Street, pleaded guilty to theft between January and August 2018.

He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage which caused damage estimated at £800.

The indictment reveals that as part of the theft offence Humphrey had made daily withdrawals from his mum's current account.

The amounts taken were far in excess of what he would have needed to pay her bills.

Mrs Humphrey told police she had been left penniless and in debt as a result of her son's stealing.

After she discovered what he had done she confronted him and he wrote her a letter of apology.

It is understood she has not been repaid any of the money stolen from her.

The theft is also understood to have left Mrs Humphrey feeling increasingly vulnerable and anxious about leaving her home or allowing anyone inside her house.

Humphrey will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on November 6.

Aggravating factors in the case; including a breach of trust, the high value stolen, the financial harm caused to the victim, the offence being committed over a significant period of time, and deliberately targeting the victim on the basis of her vulnerability are all likely to be presented to the sentencing judge.

Sentencing guidelines advise that in cases where both harm and culpability are both high the starting point is two years in custody.