A drug addict stole his grandfather’s war medals and withdrew over £8,700 from the joint bank account of his grandmother and his late mother, a court heard.

Brendon Cameron was also caught in possession of heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.

Jailing the 29-year-old, of Jenkins Dale, Chatham, for 10 months, a judge told him it was “greedy and selfish offending”.

Benjamin Burge, prosecuting, said Cameron’s mother died on June 4 this year and the executor of her estate was his sister.

When she checked the bank account her grandmother could not help because she suffered from dementia. But she discovered £8,744 had been withdrawn between June 8 and July 26.

She also found that the First and Second World War medals in the name J G F Taylor and jewellery including gold rings were missing from the house in Jenkins Dale.

Mr Burge told Maidstone Crown Court the items were pawned for £522.

It was not clear if that included the medals.

The sister reported the matter to the police and when officers went to Cameron’s home he admitted having drugs.

Officers seized two wraps of heroin and one bag of heroin and one of cannabis.

Cameron, who admitted fraud, theft and possessing drugs, said he found his mother’s and grandmother’s debit card when clearing out the house and drew out up to £300 a time to fund his drug habit.

Mr Burge said the jewellery had been recovered from the pawn shop.

Tom Dunn, defending, said his instructions were that the medals were never stolen and that it was a mistake.

“His arrest came at a time when it could hardly have been less welcome,” he said.

“He has to hang his head in shame about that. He will have to live with the knowledge of what he has done for the rest of his life.”

"He will have to live with the knowledge of what he has done for the rest of his life” - Tom Dunn, defending

Cameron had returned to his mother’s home after the break-up of his marriage. His mother was diagnosed with lung cancer but died suddenly from a heart attack.

“A combination of that and the breakdown of his marriage pushed him back into drug use,” said Mr Dunn.

“He did so in a clearly spectacular way. It totally eclipsed any ability he had to act and think properly.”

Cameron had sought to deal with his addiction and was now on a methadone prescription.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC told Cameron: “All this was because you were using drugs. All the money has been lost. The bank is the loser in the technical sense. They will indemnify the estate.”

Stories you might have missed

Teen fights off city's masked menace

Arrests over young teacher's murder

Baby picks up UK's most venomous spider

Teachers strike set to hit thousands