An award-winning Scottish writer had more than £75,000 stolen from him by his carer shortly before his death to fuel a gambling addiction, a court has been told.

Allan Beacham admitted plundering the finances of the Thunderbirds writer Alan Pattillo after being “entrusted” to care for him.

While living in a house bought for him by Pattillo, Beacham stole thousands of pounds from the blind and immobile pensioner to “dig himself out of the hole” that he had created through gambling.

The court was previously told that Beacham, 66, had spent £25,000 on lottery tickets and would regularly steal cash from the “vulnerable pensioner” to fuel this addiction.

After some £75,000 had gone missing from Pattillo’s finances, the “dishonest” Beacham was unable to offer any