But as Miss Jarvis’s dementia progressed and she could no longer look after her own money, Flowers began controlling her accounts and using her cash for his own selfish ends, the court heard.
Flowers, a former Labour councillor and church minister, dubbed the “Crystal Methodist” after a newspaper drugs sting, had been made power of attorney and executor of the will of Miss Jarvis, a teetotal retired teacher, who never married and had no children.
Flowers, 74, had betrayed his friend of many years, Margaret Jarvis, to plunder her cash, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Former Co-operative Bank chairman Paul Flowers – who stole nearly £100,000 from an elderly spinster to spend on drugs, holidays and gifts for himself – has been jailed for three years.
Flowers, from Salford, Greater Manchester, had admitted 18 counts of fraud at an earlier hearing, amounting to nearly £100,000 over a two-year period ending in 2017.
