AN Age Concern worker has told a jury how an alleged thief volunteered to befriend an elderly widow.

Peter Michael Powers, 50, is accused of stealing thousands of pounds from Betsey Finlay in the last 18 months of her life.

The jury at York Crown Court heard that she lived in a rundown house which needed "significant improvements".

The prosecution allege that although thousands of pounds was taken out of her bank accounts in the 18 months, none of it was spent on the house.

Powers, of Sycamore Place, New Earswick, denies theft.

Vi Butler, befriending services organiser for Age Concern told the court that he contacted it shortly after Mrs Finlay's husband Raymond died.

He claimed she needed a befriender from the charity to visit her and asked if he could be the person.

At the time, he was a CRUSE bereavement counsellor and arranging Mr Finlay's funeral.

Mrs Butler alleged that Powers told her he and Mrs Finlay had formed a good relationship.

She told him to go through the charity's normal recruitment and training procedure.

When he passed it, she saw no reason why he should not become Mrs Finlay's befriender, Mrs Butler told the court.

Both in training and in the charity's guidelines, he was given strong advice not to get involved with Mrs Finlay's finances and to refer any gifts or financial matters to senior charity members.

"What report did Age Concern get from (Powers) about receiving any money?" asked prosecution barrister Tom Storey.

"Nothing whatsoever," she replied.

By early 2000, she was concerned that Powers seemed to be spending too much time with Mrs Finlay.

Financial adviser Andrew Richardson alleged that when he visited Mrs Finlay's home on May 14 1999 to help her arrange finance to improve her home, he noted that it had very old wiring, no central heating and needed significant improvements to bring it up to modern day standards.

Andrew David Holland, of BPT Ltd, a property company, said it bought 80 per cent of the equity in the house and withheld nearly £400 until the electric wiring was replaced.

But it never received evidence that the work was done, so the company still had the money.

The trial continues on Monday.

Updated: 08:24 Friday, March 01, 2002