Jail for £2.5m theft from mother

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A man who stole more than £2.5m from his elderly mother has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Businessman Mark Hodson, 39, who lived near Wellington in Somerset, spent the money on cars and boats, Bristol Crown Court heard.

In 2004 his brother, Paul, reported the fraud to the official receiver.

Judge Julian Lambert said the sentence would have been longer but for his guilty plea and said "you squandered your mother's money on a large scale."

Sadly she [mother] is not alive today to see justice done Paul Hodson, Mark's brother

The court heard how Hodson lied and cheated his way through the family fortune.

As his business ventures failed he took large amounts of money from his mother's bank account after she came to live with him near Wellington.

The prosecution said his former wife, Kim, from Taunton, had signed a bogus mortgage application drawn up by her husband

'Broken woman'

She was ordered to do 120 hours community service for her part in the fraud.

Speaking outside the court on Friday his brother, Paul Hodson, said: "They systematically stripped her of her money, her assets, her family relationships, health and self-esteem.

"When she was removed from Somerset she was a broken woman. With professional help she was enjoying life again and keen to see Mark and Kim brought to justice.

"Sadly she is not alive today to see justice done."