An Andreas man who got into so much debt his mother stole to bail him out has been sentenced to 180 hours’ community service by a summary court.
Thomas Kristian Atherton, of Kiondroghad Road, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods after receiving cash his mother had stolen from Spar shop in Parliament Street in Ramsey where she worked.
Last month we reported how Atherton’s mother, Michelle Atherton, was jailed for 10 weeks’ after stealing £4,251 while she worked at Spar where she was responsible for banking the daily takings.
The theft came to light when one of the company accountants flagged up a discrepancy between the takings and the amount banked in the previous month.
After she was arrested by police son Thomas came forward and admitted that his mother had been taking the money to help him pay off his debts after he asked her for help.
Prosecutor James Robinson told the court how Atherton had gotten into debt buying vehicles that he could not afford and taking out bank loans. He also owed money to garages and insurance companies and had a large phone bill.
The 20-year-old admitted that he was aware the money his mother was giving him was stolen and in total he had received £2,625.
Defending him in court advocate Deborah Myerscough said: ‘It is clear Mr Atherton got himself into serious financial difficulties which he was unable to work his way through. He is not well-educated in terms of managing finances.
‘This has caused extreme distress for his family as a whole.
‘His father and brother have not come to court, they are so distressed by what’s happened. His mother has just been released. He is eaten up with guilt she has been in custody.
‘He’s had a real reality check in terms of finances. The effect on his family has punished him more than any court could.
‘It’s going to take a very long time for the family to get over what happened as a result of him asking his mum for money. He’s now aware of certain places he can go for debt counselling.’
Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes told Atheron while passing sentence: ‘It’s clear you have some bridges to build which are going to take some time to complete. You were aware the money you were getting was stolen.
‘There is no evidence you co-oerced your mother but nonetheless she felt under some pressure to take the action she did.
‘But you are a young man with a good future ahead of you. I am not sending you to prison. I sent your mum to prison because she was in a position of trust and breached that trust. I would urge you to help her with the compensation.
Atherton has 12 months to complete the 180 hours.