A FELIXSTOWE builder who used cheques stolen from a partially sighted pensioner to pay his debts has been jailed.David Merry, was sent to prison for 12 months after an Ipswich Crown Court jury found him guilty of five offences of theft.

A FELIXSTOWE builder who used cheques stolen from a partially sighted pensioner to pay his debts has been jailed.

David Merry, was sent to prison for 12 months after an Ipswich Crown Court jury found him guilty of five offences of theft.

Cheques to the value of £1600 were drawn on the NatWest account of retired Harry Ablett who has since died.

Merry, 49, formerly of Beach station Road, Felixstowe, but recently living at Rutland Square, Bury St Edmunds, had denied the offences.

The court heard that Merry got to know Mr Ablett when he was employed to put up a conservatory at the pensioner's home.

In the autumn of last year Mr Ablett's daughter who helped him with his paperwork noticed money was missing from his bank account.

Enquiries revealed that five cheques had been drawn on Mr Ablett's bank account which he claimed he hadn't authorised.

Four of the cheques had been made out to Merry's landlady to pay for rent and the fifth had been used to pay the final instalment on a van he had purchased.

Merry had told the court that a friendship had developed between him and Mr Ablett after he did some work for him. He said he asked Mr Ablett if he could borrow some money and Mr Ablett had told him it would not be a problem but not to mention it to his daughter.

Merry said he had been expecting to do some building work at a pub and told Mr Ablett that if he lent him £1500 to pay his debts he would pay him back £2000 when he got paid.

However Merry admitted he hadn't repaid any of the money because the work at the pub had not materialised.