A "thoroughly dishonest" woman befriended vulnerable victims and callously stole their money to fund her gambling habit.

Carmen Janey Hinson raided the bank account of a frail, housebound woman in her 80s, who trusted her as a cleaner.

She also stole the savings of a lonely widower in his 70s, Louis Gibson, leaving him destitute in the months before he died from cancer, in July 2007.

After Hinson escaped an immediate jail sentence at Leicester Crown Court, Mr Gibson's two sons spoke of their heartbreak at seeing their dad reduced to near poverty in a cold house with little food in the cupboards.

Peter Gibson, 44, of Eyres Monsell, said: "She used my father's money to finance her own extravagant lifestyle, and took out credit cards and a loan in his name.

"She told him she was going to visit her dying mother in Malta, when her mother had died two years earlier.

"She went there on holiday, leaving father at home, and blew his money in a casino. She would play card games such as blackjack. The majority of dishonest cash withdrawals she made were at casinos.

"She took advantage of his loneliness and that of other victims, too."

He said he and his brother, Adrian, 46, of Whetstone, discovered Hinson had run up a phone bill at their father's warden-assisted home in Hillsborough Drive, Eyres Monsell, reducing him to incoming calls only and making useless his emergency pendant if he needed help.

She also cancelled their father's funeral insurance policy, leaving the brothers to pay for his funeral.

Peter said: "Father was a gentleman and a proud man and wanted to cover his own funeral costs, but she even took that away from him.

"If there are any other victims of Hinson out there, I would urge them to contact the police officer in the case, Tracey Horne, at Blaby police station, who has been a tremendous support."

The daughter of the woman in her 80s said in a victim impact statement: "I feel sickened to my stomach that Hinson used my mother's vulnerability and poor memory, from senile dementia, to get her to sign cheques."

Adrienne Lucking, prosecuting, said Hinson, of Hebden Close, Eyres Monsell, also lied about her income to secure an £81,000 mortgage on a property.

The 60-year-old, who is now bankrupt, pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining a money transfer for the mortgage in 2005.

She admitted four thefts totalling £4,491 from Mr Gibson, between February 2006 and March 2007, along with theft of two cheque books from the woman in her 80s, and using the cheques to steal a total of £2,600, between July and November 2006.

She also admitted stealing £1,000 from a life-long family friend, who was in poor health, between January 2004 and December 2005.

Hinson was sentenced to an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 112 hours of unpaid work.

She was effectively placed under house arrest during the day, with a four-month curfew between 10am and 10pm, with variations on Sundays and Mondays.

Judge Peter Morrell said: "You're a thoroughly dishonest person and took advantage of vulnerable people who should have been treated with respect in their old age."

Jagvir Sangherra, defending, said Hinson, a mother of four, had no previous convictions and offered her "sincerest apologies" to her victims and their families.