A BRADFORD mother of three who "broke an 84-year-old man's heart" with her latest fake sob stories about an ill child has been jailed for 14 months.

Drug addict, Jemma Dean, 28, targeted elderly people in Bradford and Brighouse to con them out of cash, pretending she needed the money for a taxi to collect her son from hospital.

She struck again after being sentenced in October last year to a 12 month community order at Bradford Crown Court for similar offending.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC yesterday labelled her crimes "nasty, pernicious and high impact."

She pleaded guilty to three offences of fraud, between January 20 and 26, accompanied by three charges of breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order.

Prosecutor Alisha Kaye said the six-year order was imposed at Bradford Crown Court in June, 2015.

This time, Dean visited addresses in Huddersfield Road, Bradford, and Village Street, Norwood Green, Brighouse, begging for money.

She conned a 66-year-old woman out of £20, a 64-year-old man out of £10 and a man aged 84 out of £40.

Miss Kaye said Dean's oldest victim had been left unable to sleep and his family no longer wanted him to live alone.

Dean, of Oxley Gardens, Low Moor, Bradford, had previous convictions for shoplifting.

Her barrister, Sarah-Kate McIntyre, said Dean began using Class A drugs after she was in a violent relationship.

She had three young children, aged ten, five and two.

"She is devastated to have put them in this position again and to be back before Your Honour," Miss McIntyre said.

Dean had been in custody for three weeks and knew she needed help to kick her drug addiction.

"She knows she needs to get clean but she begs you not to keep her away from her young children for too long," Miss McIntyre told Judge Durham Hall.

Dean's grandmother had offered her a home and was willing to move away from the area to help her make a fresh start.

The judge told Dean: "You have broken an 84-year-old gentleman's heart."

He continued: "You cannot help yourself. I have to protect others from you, and you from yourself.

"The addiction is too strong. I can only deal with you by way of imprisonment."