A cruel conman who tricked a woman he befriended out of £91,000 has been ordered to pay back just 1p at a confiscation hearing.

Richard Wesley, 61, from Albert Road, Corfe Mullen deceived Mary Manning after claiming he needed money to help fund a car business.

Over an 11-month period he encouraged trusting Mrs Manning to hand over her life savings in the belief that the money would be repaid.

Wesley, who described himself as a Walter Mitty-type character, pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining property by deception.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard how he had met divorcee Mrs Manning in January 2002 after answering a lonely hearts advertisement.

After a few months he told unsuspecting Mrs Manning, a retired acting head teacher, he was from Sheffield, involved in the car trade and needed money for a business opportunity.

She gave him £1,400 and then a further £7,000. During 2002 she handed over various sums including £20,000 in June, giving Wesley access to her bank account. He applied for various credit cards in her name and borrowed £28,800 to repay a debt.

The court heard how Mrs Manning was sure she could be repaid and was happy with Wesley taking control of her finances.

By July 2003 her current account was regularly going into debt. Wesley took a total of £91,564.

It wasn't until 2006, when Mrs Manning heard from another of Wesley's victims, that they went to the police. It emerged that he had previous convictions involving elderly victims and had served time behind bars.

Judge Samuel Wiggs jailed Wesley for three years and said: "If ever the description conman applied to anybody, it is to you."

At a later confiscation hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court, Judge Christopher Harvey Clark QC made a nominal order of 1p after hearing how Wesley had benefited to the tune of £97,314 but had no funds to repay the debt.

His barrister Christopher Gair offered to hand over the penny on his client's behalf.