A VULNERABLE elderly man was deceived by a friend who took food out of his freezer.

A VULNERABLE elderly man was deceived by a friend who took food out of his freezer.

Andrew Brooks attempted to steal �15 worth of food from 78-year-old Gerald Bramble who was left partially sighted and deaf in one ear following a stroke.

South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard that Brooks, 37, of Newnham Court, Ipswich had gone to Mr Bramble's Wickham Market home on January 19 with a friend and had taken the food out of the freezer and put it in a bag.

Lesla Small, prosecuting, said Mr Bramble had been a friend of Brooks' father and Brooks had known him for many years and had even been trusted with a spare key.

Lesla Small said to Magistrates': “You have heard the victim's age and disabilities which makes him quite vulnerable.”

Magistrates' heard that Brooks, who had previous convictions, was “genuinely sorry” for what he had done.

He pleaded guilty to attempted theft and was released from court until March 2 where he was due to be sentenced.

A pre-sentence report was ordered to assess Brooks' suitability to do about 60 hours unpaid work for the community.