Valerie Doyle, 77, who is partially sighted and has restricted mobility, gave Jordan Edwardson a place to live.
She took the 24-year-old into her Southport home after he spent years in care because of his mum’s drug abuse.
But he repaid her kindness by stealing bank cheques and trying to cash them in to buy crack cocaine and heroin .
And after that failed – leading to a past conviction for fraud – Edwardson used her bank and credit cards 50 times.
Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, today said: “It’s hard to imagine anybody stooping lower than somebody who steals from his own grandmother. You’ve done it now not once, but twice.”
Edwardson received 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, over the despicable cheque fraud in February 2018.
He was on post sentence supervision when Ms Doyle received £8,000 in compensation over an unspecified incident.
Liverpool Crown Court heard she checked her bank balance on November 4 last year and found it was £6,228 down.
The victim discovered 41 suspicious transactions at various locations between September 25 and November 3.
Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, said they included purchases at JD Sports, CeX, Rebecca’s Jewellers and McColl’s newsagents.
Ms Doyle, who hadn’t given anyone permission to use her bank card, found £2,209 was spent on her credit card in nine transactions.
She reported it to the police, who viewed CCTV footage and identified her grandson, of no fixed address, using both cards.
The court heard this included buying an iPhone and an Apple Watch, which he took to Cash Converters and sold for £150.
Ms Doyle, who said Edwardson had since returned to her home asking for money, did not want to give a victim statement or a restraining order to be made.
Judge Flewitt observed: “There is nothing to stop him going back to his grandmother’s when released.”
When arrested and interviewed by police, Edwardson claimed his nan gave him the cards to buy clothes.
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He said he would withdraw £250 a time on the debit card and bought drugs, cigarettes and alcohol.
Ms Nemat said: “He said he consumed two bags of heroin and 10 bags of crack cocaine a day and nothing else mattered.”
Edwardson, who has 13 previous convictions for 23 offences, the majority for dishonesty, admitted two counts of fraud.
Judge Flewitt said the dad-of-one also had “a variety of convictions arising out of the breakdown of his relationship”.
Peter White, defending, said Edwardson, who was “candid” with police, accepted it was “a particularly cruel offence”.
He said: “It is slightly more than sad – Mr Edwardson says he was taken into care due to his own mother’s drug user as a teen.
“It was his grandmother who was there for him at that time and offered him some respite.
“He appreciates he’s not paid her back and caused her nothing but sorrow.”
Judge Flewitt said: “This is what happens when you’re in the grip of heroin and cocaine.
“‘Nothing else matters’ is how he put it, which seems to be the way it was.”
Mr White agreed a pre-sentence report was “depressing reading” and Edwardson had spent a considerable amount of time in jail.
The lawyer said: “He’s not had contact with his young daughter. He is very motivated to get clean when he is in custody and to get contact with his daughter when he is released.”
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
He said his client “looked a completely different person” after four weeks in custody.
Mr White said: “Hopefully he is drug free on release and will be offence free.”
Judge Flewitt told Edwardson the two frauds against his elderly nan “effectively cleaned her out”.
He said: “You did that to fuel your own drug addiction, because as you put it at that stage, so far as you were concerned, ‘nothing else mattered’.
“Your grandmother had taken you in and provided you with accommodation when nobody else would.
“She provided you with support during your adult life, following on from what I accept from the pre-sentence report was a pretty awful start in life, through no fault of your own, and I have no doubt in some ways that may have contributed to your drug addiction.
“But this was an appalling way to repay your grandmother for the kindness that she had shown to you.”
Edwardson bowed his head in shame on a video link from HMP Forest Bank.
Judge Flewitt said: “I accept in the cold light of day, and away from the influence of drugs, you regret what you have done.
“But that is little consolation to your grandmother, who must be deeply wounded by your actions.”
He said Edwardson abused his nan’s trust and stole the money over a sustained period of time.
Jailing him for two years, Judge Flewitt said: “I have no doubt you took advantage of her vulnerability.”