A WIDOW whose son stole £460,000 from her died just hours before a court ordered him to start paying her back.

Shamed Michael Pain, 53, swindled money from his mother Lady Denys Sophia Pain, the widow of decorated war hero and Royal aide Lieutenant-General Sir Rollo Pain.

He raided her savings to pay off his mortgage and prop up his failing business. He has already been jailed for three years and was yesterday given a confiscation order, forcing him to start paying back the money.

But his mother, aged 86, died just five hours before the latest court case. Other relatives said she had been “totally destroyed” by her son’s betrayal and said it had made her final years a “living hell”.

Pain, of Eddlethorpe near Malton, was told yesterday that if he did not pay £166,834 back to his mother’s estate in six months he would face more time in prison.

His brother-in-law, Sean Mahony, who is married to Pain’s older sister Audrey, said his actions “have had a horrible effect on my mother-in-law”.

He said: “I'm afraid it meant that the last few years of her life were a living hell and the rest wonderful.

"I'm sad to say that she died at 7.30am this morning. The family were in total disbelief, I don't think anyone quite understands why he did it. Obviously he loved himself more than he loved his mother.”

He said Lady Pain, who died in a hospice in Kettering, was not told about the latest court hearing, saying: “She wouldn’t need to know”.

York Crown Court, sitting in Harrogate, heard Pain, who stole £460,150, had money in different accounts and still had some assets to sell, including an excavator and a Volvo HGV from his building business.

The former army officer must sell those assets and hand over the proceeds, or end up behind bars for another two-and-a-half years.

Pain's dishonest transactions began when he took over Lady Pain’s savings after his father, who was awarded the Military Cross for incredible bravery in the final weeks of the Second World War, died of cancer in 2005.

Pain was entrusted with all his mother’s financial affairs by his family, but began moving her cash into his own account.

The crimes began in April 2005 and continued until January 2009. Because Pain's daughters lived in Dubai and Leicestershire, the family decided he was suitable to look after his mother's financial affairs.

Pain, who runs a company building arenas for outdoor equestrian events, was caught after sister Audrey uncovered the fraud on a visit home.

He had previously served as a captain with the Royal Dragoon guards in Germany, the same regiment as his remarkable dad.

Passing sentence on Pain last year, Judge Stephen Ashurst said, called it “a betrayal with devastating consequences”.

Speaking last year, Audrey Mahony, 59, said: “It’s an absolutely appalling breach of trust, we are all shocked to the core. He has destroyed my mother.”

Mr Mahony said Lady Pain was very concerned for her 13-year-old granddaughter, Michael's child, and had encouraged the family to make things as easy as possible for her.

Mr Mahony said he informed Pain's solicitors about his mother's death and wrote him a short note but had had no response.