A bankrupt pensioner who kept quiet about making nearly one hundred thousand pounds out of a house sale has been jailed today.

Yvonne Hazell, aged 62, should have used the money to settle some of her debts.

But, a judge heard today, by the time the authorities caught up with her most of the £97,000 had gone--including £14,000 on gambling and £2,800 on home improvements.

Judge Paul Thomas said he took into account Hazell's age but others had to be deterred from taking "such a dishonest" view of people they owed money to. She was jailed for three months.

Swansea crown court heard that Hazell, now of Gilfach Aur, Horeb, Llandysul, had made the profit from a house sale.

At the time "several" bankruptcy orders had been made against her.

Her barrister, Ian Ibrahim, said there was no money left to pay her creditors and she was unable to work. A lot of the money, he added, had been used to repay relatives she had borrowed from.

"There was no fancy living," he added.

Judge Thomas said it appeared that £14,000 had gone on on-line gambling. Although Hazell denied being responsible it was inconceivable that she had not noticed that the money was going and taken steps to prevent it.

And Hazell had spent £2,800 on tiles for her home.

Judge Thomas said she had deliberately flouted the bankruptcy laws by failing to tell the official receiver about her windfall, and had decided instead to "brazen it out."

Hazell, he said, had had an obilgation to those she owed money to, partly because they could be struggling themselves. "Your creditors were not of importance to you," he added, He said he did not believe the court had been given a full explanation about where the money had gone.

"This was large scale dishonesty and others must be deterred," he said.