A BRYNAMAN woman has been jailed for a despicable breach of trust in which she secretly recorded an elderly friend's credit card details and used them to pay for an exotic holiday.

Brenda Richardson, aged 56, of Heol Gelynen, committed the deception after befriending 82-year-old Clara Harris — who has since died— Swansea Crown Court heard.

She was sent down for six months after pleading guilty to dishonestly making a false representation. Judge Gerald Price QC said it was significant that Richardson had previous convictions for dishonesty — one committed against an elderly resident of a Swansea nursing home in the 1990s.

Iwan Jenkins, prosecuting, said Ammanford pensioner Mrs Harris had been befriended by the defendant about two years ago. Richardson would take Mrs Harris shopping, and the pensioner would give her small amounts of cash for this.

The court heard that Mrs Harris's son, who lived in Nottingham, was able to monitor his mother's finances over the internet.

On May 6 this year her account was debited by £328. This was paid to a travel company, but it was not something that Mrs Harris had authorised.

The pensioner knew Richardson was due to go on holiday but did not think she could have had anything to do with the money's disappearance.

Mr Jenkins told the court that when Mrs Harris's son challenged Richardson over the money, the defendant initially denied taking it but eventually confessed she had been responsible.

After being arrested, Richardson told detectives she had booked herself an expensive holiday in Egypt but had run out of money before making the final payment for it.

One day when Mrs Harris left her handbag unattended, the court heard, Richardson recorded her credit card details and then used them to pay off her holiday bill.

Judge Price was told that Mrs Harris — who went to Nottingham to live with her son after the deception came to light — had since died.

Francis Jones, in mitigation, emphasised that Richardson had not befriended Mrs Harris with the intention of committing a deception.

"She found herself in a desperate situation when she could not afford to pay for her holiday," said the barrister. He conceded it must have been "clearly a shocking episode" for Mrs Harris.

Sentencing, Judge Price, said a prison term was unavoidable.

He told Richardson: "This was a despicable breach of trust."