A FINANCIAL adviser has been jailed for stealing nearly half a million pounds from a frail 91-year-old woman and her husband who was suffering from dementia.

Mark Townson earned Mary McDowell's trust - before swiping £465,090 from her and her now late husband.

Townson, 52, said he had become friends with the elderly couple and he thought he had done "as good a job as possible" for his clients.

But he is now behind bars awaiting sentence after a jury found him guilty of stealing the cash from the pensioner, who is hard of hearing and has to use a stick to help her walk.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard that Townson met Mrs McDowell and her late husband, George, while working as a branch-based financial adviser.

He worked for Legal and General for 18 years, dealing with clients throughout Scotland and in Northern Ireland and he had an "unblemished record".

Between 2002 and 2013 he advised the couple, who had £1.4 million across various accounts, with Mr McDowell, a former pilot, receiving a pension of £50,000 a year.

At first he met them at a Virgin Money branch in the south side of Glasgow but as Mr McDowell became increasingly frail, he met them at their semi-detached home in the city where he preyed on the pensioners.

The 52-year-old said he was in "a desperate financial situation" caused by him running three households.

He had split up from his wife and was helping her financially, had his own house to pay for, and was also shelling out for his son, who was at university. He also owed money to family members as he had spent their share of his mother's inheritance.

Between January and October 2011 Townson took £385,090 off the McDowells' nest egg.

He got Mrs McDowell to sign off cheques which he transferred from their Clydesdale Bank account to her account with Northern Rock. He then switched the money from the McDowells' Northern Rock account to his own bank account.

His ploy only came to light in December 2012 when he took another £80,000. He withdrew the money from the McDowells' Virgin Money account and paid it into an account in his own name at the same branch.

Townson was caught by his branch manager and suspended on full pay while an investigation was carried out.

He was later sacked and was arrested and charged with obtaining the money by fraud, leading to him being prosecuted at Paisley Sheriff Court.

Townson, of Glasgow's Baillieston area, admitted taking Mrs McDowell's cash, but he claimed it had been given to him by the childless couple as a gift and as money to invest.

Giving evidence in his own defence, he said: "They were not extravagant in their spending, they didn't go on holiday and they didn't have any kids. I'd say we became friends - I got Christmas cards and birthday cards from them.

"In 2008 or 2009 Mr McDowell began to deteriorate. Mrs McDowell got more control after that. Everything was in files, it was really organised. I thought I'd done as good a job as I could possibly do for them."

He claimed the first £385,090 had been given to him as "gifts" by Mrs McDowell, who knew he was struggling financially.

And he said the second £80,000 was taken so he could make her five per cent profit - just £4,000.

He said that, although she knew exactly what was going on and had given him the money, he was sorry for what he had done as his actions went against professional protocols.

In relation to the supposed £80,000 investment, he said: "It was stupid. I didn't do it maliciously. I deeply regret it."

Mrs McDowell was adamant she never gave Townson any money or agreed to him investing cash on her behalf.

The jury took just 56 minutes to convict him.

They found him unanimously guilty of the two alternative charges he faced - stealing £385,090 between January and October 2011 and stealing £80,00 in December 2012.

Graeme Tones, a Virgin Money spokesman, said: "At Virgin Money we take the safety and security of our customers extremely seriously and the vigilance of our Giffnock colleagues has helped to identify this appalling crime."

A Legal & General spokesman said: "This shouldn't have happened. When it was discovered, we reported it to the police, apologised to Mrs McDowell, and ensured she got all her money back."

Sheriff Tom McCartney remanded Townson in custody and he now faces a lengthy jail term when he returns to court later this month to be sentenced.