A despicable thief repaid the love of a woman who had taken him in when he was homeless by looting her home of treasured heirlooms.

Now, devious scaffolder Paul Bruce has been led away to prison - refusing to look at the kind-hearted grandmother of his two children.

A tearful Heather Kirkpatrick told the judge: "We still love him - even though he stole our future."

The 32-year-old had used a family barbecue to take the car and house keys belonging to Mrs Kirkpatrick's daughter, and his ex-partner, Carly, and sneak away to steal £23,000 worth of jewellery earmarked for Mrs Kirkpatrick's grandchildren.

Mrs Kirkpatrick later told KentOnline: "I knew it was him straight away, because the thief hadn't broken in but had used keys.

"While we were searching for the missing items, he knew exactly where they were and never said a word.

"Even to this day he hasn't said sorry and yet, because he is the father of two of my grandchildren, I still love him."

'He not only robbed us of our jewellery but of our history and of our future...'

She added: "We treated Paul as a son and stood by him when all his family walked away. Myself and my husband feel he not only robbed us of our jewellery but of our history and of our future.

"We have had many sleepless nights and have cried every day since. It has really taken its toll on us."

Mrs Kirkpatrick, of Shernolds, Maidstone, sat in the public gallery at Maidstone Crown Court as the judge heard how Bruce "on the spur of the moment" in July last year turned to burglary as the family attended a get-together.

After spotting her there, he took his ex-partner's car, which contained Mrs Kirkpatrick's home keys, stole her wedding and engagement rings and other pieces of jewellery and then sold them over four months to shops in the area.

Mrs Kirkpatrick later told police that she was "heartbroken" at the loss of the jewellery because of its sentimental value.

She revealed how some of the items had belonged to her mother and she now felt like she had "lost the connection" with her family.

Prosecutor John Connor revealed how he had sold the items for a total of £4,530 to a local jeweller - and Mrs Kirkpatrick later identified him from a picture taken from the shop's CCTV cameras.

Bruce was arrested and told police he had used the money to pay off his drugs debt.

But the judge, Recorder Alistair Webster QC heard how Mrs Kirkpatrick had twice paid off his gambling and drugs - despite receiving threats against her grandchildren from drugs gangs.

Maggie Biglou, defending, said: "These are a thoroughly unpleasant set of offences, there is no way of getting around that.

"He is aware that not only did he steal these items but he stole them from someone who helped him, looked after him, treating him as family, and he will know that for the rest of his life.

"He made the decision to steal on the spur of the moment and out of desperation because of numerous drug addictions, including cocaine which led to him gambling to try to get money to pay off those debts, and it spiralled out of control.

"He didn't know what to do and, in his own words, made the worst decision of his life, for which he will pay for the rest of his life."

Jailing him for two years and nine months after Bruce, of no fixed address, admitted the burglary and four fraud charges, the judge told him: "You were taken in by Heather Kirkpatrick as part of her family.

"She saw you as a vulnerable young man who had a difficult upbringing. And over the years the family has bent over backwards to try and help you but eventually they ran out of patience.

"Such was the sympathy, understanding and indeed love they had for you that on at least two occasions they bailed you out by paying off your debts.

"But you took an opportunity to do a sneak burglary and looted her personal and family jewellery that she wanted to pass onto your children.

"This is just about as despicable an act as one can imagine."

After jailing him, the judge then comforted a tearful Mrs Kirkpatrick, telling her: "Courts are here to try to give victims justice. He shouldn't have got away with it and he hasn't got away with it."

After the hearing Mrs Kirkpatrick told KentOnline: "For the most part, Paul is a really lovely person but he lets himself down.

"All the grandchildren were going to receive a piece of jewellery, now they won't be able to. We tried to help him so many times.

"It's like Paul has two personalities. He is like everybody's friend but he is not a good father and he is not a good partner. We just hope he will come out of prison a better person because we still love him."

He had previously been convicted of theft by an employee.

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