Mansfield man fleeced dad of £3.5k while looking after him now banished by family

Rocky Manero moved in with his parents because they were both unwell, Mansfield Magistrates’ Court was told, but began withdrawing £300 a week on top of the money was using to pay their bills and buy shopping, between November 1, 2019, and June 30, 2021.

Nicole Baughan, prosecuting, said 58-year-old Manero posted a letter of apology to his father outlining what he had done, along with the bank card he used.

The letter brought him to the attention of police and, when he was interviewed, Manero told them he was in debt at the time.

The court heard he has ‘extremely old’ previous convictions, dating back to 1992, and the current offence involved abuses of trust and responsibility.

Manero, of no fixed address, admitted fraud by false representation.

Arjun Madahar, mitigating, said: “First and foremost, he wants to apologise for his actions. He feels a great deal of shame.”

He said Manero's father has since sadly died and now ‘that relationship can't be repaired’.

Mr Madahar said: “Manero was close to his father and family. Now he has effectively been banished from the family and he wasn’t allowed to attend his father's funeral.

“Unfortunately, his means are very limited. At the time of the offence he was going hungry, because he could not afford to put food on the table.

"Clearly this will have a lasting impact on him."

The court heard Manero has limited mobility and struggles with his mental health. He is now effectively living on the streets.

Sentencing, magistrates told him: “In our view, this offence deserved custody. It is certainly in our power to send you custody.”

However, the bench stepped back from imposing an immediate custodial sentence and instead suspended a 26-week jail term for 18 months.

Because of his limited means Manero must repay his father's estate £1,000, rather than the full amount, but no costs or surcharge were ordered.