A care worker who stole money from a resident where he worked has been jailed for eight months.

Mushtaq Younis resorted to theft due to a gambling addiction and being pressed to repay a debt.

He was caught out by staff at the care home who queried why the 64-year-old victim, who had learning disabilities, had not received bank statements for a while.

The 37-year-old defendant, of Accrington Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to 13 offences of theft, with another 71 similar offences taken into consideration.

The victim had been residing at Balfour House, Blackburn, supported accommodation for people with learning difficulties and or mental health issues.

Younis had worked there for two years.

The offences had arisen on eighty four occasions across a period of months and involved a total of around £2,810.

David Macro, prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, said that staff became aware that the victim's bank statements were not being received so the manager went to the bank to make enquiries.

The manager learned that many transactions had never been recorded in the home's accounts.

"When the manager looked closely at them, they all tied in with the defendant's shifts so suspicion fell on him," said Mr Macro.

In his first two police interviews Younis denied the offences.

However, when some CCTV evidence at a cash machine was put to him he "owned up" and admitted all the transactions.