Pair ‘conned OAP out of £420,000’

A couple conned an elderly woman out of almost half a million pounds but she forgave them because they were kind to her and her dog, a court heard. Jason and Rebecca Bentley, both 45, allegedly plundered the accounts of Patricia Reilly, 96, after setting up online banking for her, enabling them to take “about £420,000”, Lincoln Crown Court heard. They allegedly used the money to pay off their mortgage, buy a go-kart business and a BMW, and build a home extension. But Mrs Reilly told the court the couple were “always extremely kind to me” and their crimes had not changed how she felt towards them. The couple, from Chapel St Leonards, Lincs, deny fraud. The trial continues.