A man who plundered half million pounds from his dementia suffering grandmother was jailed for three years and four months today.

Guy Houghton, 49, formerly of Milbourne, Malmesbury, abused his position of holding enduring lasting power of attorney to help himself to up to £650,000 of the sick old lady's savings.

As well as buying a house with the money Houghton also went on luxury holidays to Egypt and South Africa and moved to Spain and France.

He also lost more on a variety of business ventures across Europe which all failed as he used up all of his granny's estate.

And when she died in 2012, a few weeks short of her hundredth birthday, no one attended the funeral and a member of the clergy was not even arranged.

Oliver Willmott, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how Beatrice Houghton moved in with her grandson in 2005 when she was in her 90s.

She had been widowed a few years earlier but was still in good health and after a while she moved into a nursing home.

At that time an enduring power of attorney was taken out so the defendant could control her finances, should the need arise.

Mr Willmott said her health deteriorated as she started to suffer from dementia and she was moved to White Lodge care home in Braydon in December 2005.

When she died in March 2012 not only was there nothing left in her bank accounts but there were £19,000 of fees outstanding to White Lodge.

He said the first thing that raised concern about the money was in an email in 2005 from the defendant's wife to his uncle.

It read 'Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but grandma bought us a house!!!' as they took on a new house in Malmesbury two months after selling her old home for £559,000.

Mr Willmott said when bank statements were gone through it was found he had been repeatedly plundering her assets.

"What is clear is a woman of some means was reduced to being without means by this defendant," he said.

Houghton, now of Folkestone, Kent, pleaded guilty to fraud. Although prosecutors say the loss is £650,000 they accept the defence basis of it being half a million pounds.

Tom Dunn, defending, said that the victim's two sons lived overseas and as the only grandchild he had cared for his grandmother.

Things started to go wrong when he married his wife, who ended up an alcoholic drug addict, and he began to take the money.

He said he had been involved in a number of businesses including mobile phone retailing, mortgage brokering and web design.

"When his grandmother died he was in a very, very dark place indeed. He didn't go to her funeral because he simply wasn't well enough," he said.

"He is thoroughly ashamed of what he had done and I submit to the court that the interpretation of his situation of remorse in the presentence report is a little harsh.

"He genuinely loved his grandmother and to be standing in front of the crown court to be sentence for disposing of her estate in the way he did is a cause of considerable shame. He knows he is facing a considerable custodial sentence."

Jailing him Judge Tim Mousley QC said: "Your dishonesty in relation to here assets was extensive and prolonged.

"By and large the cost of her care was met by her estate, although the position changed at some stage.

"But you were trusted to look after her assets and the level of trust is particularly high in these circumstances and the fact of the matter is rather than take care, as you were supposed in a trustworthy way, you did exactly the opposite.

"How much you had of her estate is not clear. Effectively you left her with no assets whatsoever.

"The figure of £500,000 is the one I take to set the starting point for the inevitable sentence.

"The money went towards funding ventures but also towards a degree of high living so far as you were concerned.

"You are undoubtedly remorseful for what you did and I accept you are ashamed of what you did."