A MAN and woman from Wirral, who stole a vulnerable man’s benefits over a five-month period, have been jailed today.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how between April and August 2021, Brian Elliott and Claire Brennan, of Devonshire Road, Oxton stole from and threatened James Farrell.

Elliott, 42, and Brennan, 41, would visit Mr Farrell at his flat once a fortnight when he received his benefits and force him to withdraw all his money from ATMs.

Sentencing, Judge Mark Ford, said: “Mr Farrell described in an interview about the intimidation carried out against him.

“You would frogmarch him to the ATM and make him withdraw all his money. You exploited this vulnerable individual.

“Mr Farrell was threatened on more than one occasion. It reached a point where he had no money for bills or food and had to borrow money from his mother to exist from one week to the next.”

The court also heard how on one occasion, to stop Elliott and Brennan from taking his money, Mr Farrell told them that he had left his bank card at the sheltered accommodation where his mother was living.

Ignoring his pleas, Elliott and Brennan escorted Mr Farrell to the address in the early hours of the morning, to obtain the card and take all his money.

Judge Ford said: “Together the two of you subjected Mr Farrell to a programme of intimidation and robbery which led to his attempted suicide on June 12.

Mr Farrell had previously tried to report the couple to the police but when Brennan and Elliott found out they mounted a campaign to stop him from assisting with the prosecution. The court heard how Elliott threatened to “stab Farrell in the face” if he resisted the robbery.

Judge Ford described Elliott and Brennan’s actions as "extremely mean and unpleasant" and that they have had a "catastrophic effect" on the victim.

He said: “You targeted a victim of perceived vulnerability. It was evident that he was still in a state of considerable distress when giving evidence.

“Your actions resulted in serious psychological harm to the victim that he contemplated killing himself.”

Simon Christie, defending Elliott, who has 32 previous convictions for 56 offences relating to violence and dishonesty, said Elliott has had numerous mental health conditions including ADHD and heroin addiction.

Mr Christie said: “He is on a waiting list for mental health treatment and is managing his addiction to better himself.”

Andrew McInnes, defending Brennan, said it was “wholly out of character” for her to be involved in something like this and that this was her first experience of custody.

McInnes also added she was not “involved with any of the violence or issued any threats”.

In a psychiatric report, Brennan was described as suffering from ADHD and anxiety disorder. The report stated that she has a “long-standing problem” with her mental health and was a “vulnerable young lady given her circumstances”.

Addressing Elliott, Judge Ford said: “It is to your credit that you have cooperated, but the fact remains that you have committed extreme serious offences which has to be dealt with immediate custody.

Addressing Brennan, Judge Ford said: “Although you were convicted, I understand that Mr Elliott performed the leading role in all three offences.

“In a psychiatric report, you are described as a woman with undoubted problems and an unstable personality who is prone to outbursts of anger and violence.

“You were acting under distress and were vulnerable under the influence of Mr Elliott, but you must be sentenced accordingly.”

The pair were found guilty following a trial of charges of robbery, theft and intimidation. 

Elliott was sentenced to seven years in prison and Brennan was sentenced to three years and six months.

Both were ordered to pay a victim surcharge and were given a restraining order not to contact their victim for 10 years.