A man who broke the trust of a relationship by stealing money from the bedroom drawer of his partner’s ninety-year-old mother has been told that he is lucky to escape jail.
Fifty-five-year-old Graham Leslie Iddison, of Bakers Court, Powlett Road, Hartlepool, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday to admit stealing cash to the value of £800 from a property in Milford Haven.
Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that the incident dated back to October of last year, when the complainant who owned the property stated that they’d noticed that cash kept in a chest of drawers in the bedroom of their 90-year-old mother was going missing.
“Most of the cash belonged to the complainant and some of it to their mother, and it had been noticed that some of it had been disappearing over a six month period, as there was a deficiency in the total.
“The complainant installed a CCTV camera in the bedroom and the video captured the defendant entering and going into the drawer and removing bundles of money, with £800 taken in total,” continued Mr. Pritchard-Jones.
The court heard that Mr. Iddison had taken the money from the address of his partner’s mother when visiting from Hartlepool where he lived.
“The defendant gave a statement to police to say he had taken £800 and spent £200. He had put the other £600 in the panel in front of the fuse compartment of his car,” explained Mr. Pritchard-Jones.
“Police searched Mr. Iddison’s car and found the money. This is clearly a breach of trust, as he was a friend of the family, and had legitimate access to the property.
“He said that he was going to use the toilet when he was in fact going up to steal the money!” he added.
Probation officer Julie Norman told the court that Mr. Iddison knew the money was in the home of his partner’s mother and took it.
“Since the relationship has ended, he has had no contact with the family.
“Mr. Iddison suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and has a history of theft from his employers and shoplifting,” she said.
Defence solicitor Mark Layton told the court that the defendant had submitted a statement to police stating it was an ‘impulsive act’ as the result of certain financial pressures.
“He is remorseful and regrets his actions,” said Mr. Layton.
Magistrates told Mr. Iddison that he was very lucky not to be going to prison, before handing him a 12 month community order, with a 15 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.
He was fined £80 for the offence and ordered to pay £200 compensation to the victim.
The defendant was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £90 victim surcharge.