A trust probate executive from Hove has been jailed for 30 months for defrauding four elderly women clients out of a total of £100,000.

Jacqueline D’Hazzard (pictured), 44, pleaded guilty to four offences committed while she was a trust probate executive at Brighton firm Engleharts between 2004 and 2009.

The two-partner firm detected the fraud after D’Hazzard resigned in June 2009 and her successor checked the records.

She was arrested the following October, and found to have stolen sums of £70,256, £11,612, £10,398 and £8,120 from the women’s accounts.

D’Hazzard was given four concurrent sentences at Hove Crown Court last month; one of 30 months and three 12-month terms.

Giving sentence, Judge Anthony Scott-Gall said: ‘Through your extreme folly your life is in ruins.

'You plundered the resources of four vulnerable people and spent them on yourself.

'Only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate for your reckless and feckless behaviour.’

Russ Jones, detective constable in the Sussex police major fraud unit, said: ‘This was clearly a gross breach of trust, and all the evidence is that D’Hazzard spent the money on herself, in paying debts and taking holidays.

'When the frauds were reported the firm cooperated fully with our inquiry.’

Engleharts declined to comment.