A PENSIONER who fenced part of her son's £8m stolen fortune at her Catford home has been sentenced to five years in prison.

On receiving the loot, retired hospital worker Sheila Edwards, 67, made around 400 cash deposits and investments, Croydon Crown Court heard.

Her son, Colin Edwards, 42, escaped with the hoard after an armed robbery in 1996 on a post office depot in Hastings where he worked.

Edwards, who was sentenced to 15 years, was part of a gang of south Londoners which got away with the multi-million pound fortune.

Six months after the raid, Edwards sent an estimated £412,000 to his parents' Broadfield Road home. When police swooped on house they found £90,000 stashed away.

Mr Jeremy Benson QC, prosecuting, told the court Mrs Edwards believed the money was a “pay-off” for the raid, which her son had told her was “nothing to worry about”.

Mrs Edwards and her 72-year-old husband, Robert, who was also involved in the fencing, will be spending their golden wedding day apart.

Mr Edwards escaped charges due to ill-health but his wife, who the defence say is suffering from heart disease, did not escape punishment.

Mr Recorder Martin Joy told her: “You have been thoroughly dishonest over a period of years.

“Not only did you know the money had been stolen in a violent armed robbery but you regularly carried huge sums of cash to banks and building societies. It is sad to see a person such as yourself in this position.”

Mr Glen Harris, defending, suggested his client had already suffered enough: “This lady succumbed to temptation. She has ruined her health and the rest of her life. There has been no lavish lifestyle or fancy holidays.”

Colin Edwards denied a charge of conspiracy and three charges of carrying firearms with intent but was found guilty of all of them.

His mother pleaded guilty to handling the proceeds of the robbery.

The other robbers and the bulk of the cash have still not been traced.