CALLOUS Richard Hughes, 24, befriended a disabled Cirencester pensioner and then stole his £20,000 Motability car, a court heard yesterday.

The VW Golf has never been recovered and owner Timothy Meredith, 65, was left £1,500 out of pocket after his insurance claim, Gloucester crown court was told.

Hughes, of Gardner Court, Cirencester, pleaded guilty to stealing the car keys and then the car itself in October last year. He also admitted cultivating six cannabis plants.

Judge William Hart jailed him for 18 months after telling him he had taken full advantage of Mr Meredith's disability and his trust in him.

Also in the dock was Hughes' brother in law Marcus Savage, 30, of Slade Close, West Bromwich, who admitted assisting in the disposal of the stolen car and was jailed for a year.

Prosecutor Janine Wood said Mr Meredith is registered disabled and cannot walk more than 50 yards unaided as a result of a road accident 10 years ago.

Last year, she said, Mr Meredith befriended a young woman working in Morrison's in Cirencester and she took advantage of him, getting him to take her on shopping trips to Swindon to buy clothes and shoes.

One one of the trips she was accompanied by Hughes and another woman and they went drinking in a Swindon cocktail bar before returning to Mr Meredith's flat.

"Mr Meredith had to go out to a hospital appointment and when he returned he agreed to drive the women and Hughes into town but could not find his car keys," Ms Wood said.

Mr Meredith used a spare set, not realising that Hughes had pocketed the keys so he could drive the car away overnight. The following day Mr Meredith went to use the car and it was missing - and despite him reporting it then to the police it was not recovered.

However police enquiries led to the arrest of Hughes - who was found to have six cannabis plants when arrested - and his brother in law.

Nicola Colwill, for Hughes, said he had been out of prison for 18 months and had not offended again until he found himself in Cirencester and succumbed to the temptation to steal the car.

"He had been befriended by the two girls and tagged along with them, drinking heavily," she said. "That is how he came to be in the company of Mr Meredith. But Mr Meredith was not targeted because of his vulnerability. My client did not even realise he had a disability."

For Savage, Philip Perry said he had got hooked on Class A drugs and could not resist the temptation to make some money when the opportunity presented itself.

He felt genuine remorse and had resolved to tackle his drug problem and build a stronger relationship with his two children, Mr Perry added.

Judge Hart told Hughes "Mr Meredith depended for transport and a sense of independence on his VW Golf, provided by Motability.

"You purported to befriend him and gained his trust. I am perfectly satisfied you knew full well he was a man with a disability and you took full advantage of that disability and the trust he had come to repose in you.

"You got your brother in law to dispose of the car, which was never recovered."