A couple who had their life savings stolen by their son who was trusted to care for their finances will recover just £21,000.

Seth Proctor abused the trust placed in him by stealing more than £125,000 of Lee and John Baden Proctor's money, which was set aside to fund their retirement home.

Proctor, 55, of Manston Court Road in Margate had been given permission to handle their bank account and finances to ensure the cost of their accommodation was covered each month after the couple sold their house in 2011 and moved into the home.

Instead, between 2013 and 2015, he spent all their cash and was forced to call Social Services in January 2015 for help with meeting the future payments.

Proctor admitted to taking the money and tried to justify his actions by claiming it had been to fund businesses, which subsequently failed.

The matter was reported to police and Proctor was charged with theft on Monday, March 6, last year.

He was given a 20-month suspended prison sentence on Friday, June 2, 2017 at Canterbury Crown Court and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Following Proctor’s conviction, he was brought back to Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, August 17, to answer for the money he stole.

Detective Inspector Annie Clayton from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: “After Proctor was convicted, we made an application for a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“This legislation is used to claim back money that offenders have gained through crime.

“No one should be able to benefit financially in this way, least of all Proctor who had, in total, actually benefited from £134,876.17.

“At the Proceeds of Crime Hearing, Proctor was ordered to pay back £21,666, which is the cost of his current available assets. He has three months to pay this or he’ll face going to prison for 12 months.

“Furthermore, if we identify any future assets we can revisit the confiscation order and take the case back to court until the full benefit amount set out in the order is satisfied.

“The worst part about this case is the trust he broke. The victims were shocked, hurt and embarrassed by what he had done to them.”