A financial adviser who conned £180,000 from elderly and vulnerable clients has been branded an "evil man" by one of his victims.

Richard Brewer, 42, who is now serving a three-year prison sentence, targeted four people who regarded him as a friend to help solve his own debt problems. They are set to recoup just 8p for every £1 lost from receivers.

Two of the victims, who the now bankrupt Brewer met while he was working for TSB and Royal and SunAlliance, even lent him £15,000 each to ease his money problems.

Among those he tricked was Doris Turner, 73, of Radley, who gave him a cheque for £25,000 which he was supposed to invest for her.

Brewer, of White Horse Crescent, Grove, forged the cheque so it was payable to him and pocketed the cash.

Mrs Turner, whose husband died in 1993 of cancer, said: "He's just an evil man. He took from elderly people who knew and befriended him.

"When my husband was ill he vowed to look after my finances when he died. I don't know what made him turn - he must have been very desperate."

Brewer was jailed at Oxford Crown Court on Monday after admitting four deception charges.

Another of his victims, Valerie Claridge, 63, of Didcot, lost £100,000 from her late husband George's pension. Brewer invested it in his own name and kept the funds.

She had invited him to her second wedding and lent him £15,000 when he said he needed financial help. This has been repaid. In a statement to the court, she said: "I feel gutted and distressed that someone I trusted as a friend could do this too me."

Rosemary Jordan, 59, of Cirencester, gave Brewer £30,000 she received when her sister was killed in a road accident. In her statement, she said: "He used to visit us two to three times a year and we always had his favourite marshmallow cakes for him. I don't know how we will survive now."

Jim James, 75, of Drayton, had lent Brewer £15,000 and later lost £40,000 that was supposed to have been invested for him. The defendant used £10,000 of the cash he took from Mr James to re-pay the loan. Brewer asked for this offence to be taken into consideration.

*A total of £195,000 was taken but some was paid back to victims in the form of fake interest and bonus payments to make bogus financial schemes appear genuine.