A “MANIPULATIVE” Southampton man cleaned-out the bank account of a “vulnerable” woman before splashing a chunk of her money on a holiday to America.

Guy Osborn befriended his victim, a spiritualist medium and cancer survivor, before repeatedly pestering her with requests to borrow money.

The 37-year-old threatened to kill himself if his victim did not hand over money and bombarded her with messages asking for cash as she lay sick in hospital, a court heard.

In total he defrauded her of almost £14,000 from her over the course of eight months.

He also attempted to fraudulently take out loans of more than £20,000 in her name.

Yesterday Osborn, of Borrowdale Road, Southampton, was jailed for more than two-and-a-half years by a judge, who described his actions as a “gross breach of trust”.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Osborn had initially befriended his victim in 2015 through a spiritualist church.

Reading from a statement in court, the victim said “I came to see him as a son.

“When it finally dawned on me that he was using me I did not want to believe it. I couldn’t believe it.

“He had manipulated me throughout and had put pressure on me to give him money, even when I was lying ill in hospital.

“He threatened to kill himself if I didn’t give him money.”

Talking about the impact on her, she said: “I truly believe it has affected me more than my cancer.

“I can’t understand why he has done it when all I have done is given him love and lent him money."

She added: “This was entirely a product of his greed.

“I see him as dangerous and manipulative.”

Prosecutor Mark Ashley told the court Osborn had been found guilty of five counts of fraud following a trial at Southampton Crown Court.

He said the offences dated between August 2016 and March 2017.

Mr Ashley told the court that police did not plan to attempt to recoup the money through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) as Osborn no longer had the funds.

He said that there was "some evidence" that some of the money had been spent on gambling.

He added that evidence showed that Osborn had posted on social media about a holiday he had booked for him and his daughter to go to Florida.

Mitigating, Jamie Gammon said Osborn’s attempts to fraudulently take out the loans, which had prompted the investigation, were “doomed to fail”.

He said Osborn was a “major carer” in his family – his wife suffering from a disability and his youngest son suffering from cerebral palsy.

Mr Gammon said jailing Osborn would have a “devastating impact” on the family.

Judge Christopher Parker QC: “I have to sentence you knowing the consequence this sentence is going to have for your family.

“But all of this you have brought upon yourself and upon them.

“This was a gross breach of trust on your part, which went on for a prolonged period.

“You deliberately targeted her because you knew she was vulnerable.”

Judge Parker handed Osborn a 33-month sentence.