A FARNHAM-based conman who tried to marry a wealthy 102-year-old Tilford woman, who suffers from senile dementia, received an early birthday present on Monday when he sensationally avoided a prison sentence after stealing £6,000 from her. David Shearman, who is 66 today (Friday), avoided a custodial sentence after being convicted of stealing £6,000 from 102-year- old Rosalie Wren from Tilford and was instead sentenced to 160 hours of community service at Guildford Crown Court on Monday. Mrs Wren, a widow of 50 years since the death of her husband John - a Major General in the Army and a dentist to the royal family, was living alone in her home in Tilford when she met Shearman in 2002. Laura Rosefield, prosecuting, told the court how Shearman, who owns property in Devon but who has been temporarily living with retired government solicitor Nancy Chappell, a neighbour and friend of Mrs Wren, had befriended the 102-year-old woman helping her with odd jobs and the maintenance of her £700,000 property. Yet Mrs Wrenn's estimated £1.5 million estate proved to be too much of a temptation for Shearman as he persuaded the elderly widow to grant him power of attorney, effectively giving him a free rein over Mrs Wren's finances. Within weeks, Shearman had changed her will, making himself the principal beneficiary, setting up a standing order from her bank account paying £1,200 a month to a "charity" called the Dormouse Trust - whose bank account had been set up by Shearman. In addition, £69,000 of Mrs Wren's savings were transferred into a building society account which Shearman had the right of withdrawal. Now in a residential home in Woking and suffering from senile dementia and short-term memory loss, Mrs Wren was unable to give a statement to the police to say whether or not she consented to these payments. Yet last month, Shearman pleaded guilty in court to the theft of £6,000 from Mrs Wren's bank account in March 2004 after he transferred Mrs Wren's money into the Dormouse Trust account before moving it into his own bank account. Police arrested Shearman in November 2004 after being alerted by Surrey Social Services, who had become suspicious when Mr Shearman had voluntarily contacted them requesting respite care for Mrs Wren in May 2003. After obtaining a court order to check her accounts, the police uncovered the extent to which Shearman had taken over Mrs Wren's life. The police found that he had hidden the standing order by photocopying Mrs Wren's bank statements and erasing the payment of £1,200. Yet this wasn't the only example of Shearman's deviousness. Police uncovered evidence that Shearman had attempted to marry Mrs Wren at Guildford Register Office in September 2004. Having obtained the appropriate certificates, Shearman's bid to marry the elderly widow, thus avoiding costly death duties, was only thwarted when his "bride" became confused about her whereabouts in front of the registrar. Detective Constable Gary Stannard of Surrey Police's Public Protection Investigation Unit, said: "Mrs Wren was a vulnerable woman with Victorian values who had lived alone since the death of her husband in the 1950s. She believed in the sanctity of marriage and since the death of her husband had never sought to remarry or had any relationship. Then all of a sudden she was going to marry this chap? Mrs Wren would have had no idea of what was going on." But Shearman insisted that Mrs Wren was fully aware of her impending "marriage". "She wanted to get married and she knew what she was doing," he said. "We were not marrying for love because it was a marriage of convenience. I didn't want her wealth but she wanted me to have half of her house and when I died I would have passed on my half to her cousins. I could see the advantage of getting married in that the doctors and social services would leave us alone but I was the one who cancelled the marriage in the end, not the registrar." Although he has admitted his guilt in the theft of the £6,000, Shearman insisted Mrs Wren gave him the money in a bid to avoid inheritance tax penalties. "I went to see two different solicitors but I merely asked the wrong questions about the inheritance tax rules," he said. "The money was a gift from her to me." Despite Shearman's claims, Mrs Wren's will has been overturned and all references to Shearman have been removed. He has also paid back the £6,000 he stole along with interest. Shearman avoided a custodial sentence because of his previous good character and because of concerns about his health. The judge sentenced him to 160 hours of community service and ordered him to pay £942 costs. However, Shearman is still unhappy. "I wanted an absolute discharge," he said. "I am strong enough to take this but I find it so hard to accept that she (Mrs Wren) was so happy up until my arrest and now both her and my own life have been ruined for nothing. This isn't justice." Dc Stannard, who described Shearman as a "cold and calculating individual", said: "This sentence sends a clear message to those criminals engaged in the invisible abuse of elderly and vulnerable members of the society, a crime that can happen in any setting and that involves a violation of trust. Surrey Police is robust in its approach to investigating abuses against vulnerable people and will not hesitate to take positive action to bring the offenders to court to face justice."