Job loss man stole from partner
A man who plundered his partner's bank account to cover up the fact he had lost his job has been given a suspended prison sentence so he can "repay every penny."
Craig Snape, of Staffordshire, even paid cheques into her account so when, at his instigation, she checked her balance she was told she had £5,000 credit. The cheques bounced.
Stafford Crown Court heard that in reality Rebecca Seymour was thousands of pounds in debt and nearly lost her home in Chasetown, Burntwood.
In a statement she said life would never be the same and it would have broken her but for the support of her parents, Mr Patrick Sullivan, prosecuting, said.
Snape, aged 30, now living in Romney, Tamworth, admitted the theft of £10,187 between September 2005 and June of last year.
Mr Recorder Peter Cooke told him: "As a breach of trust of someone you loved this was quite grotesque.
"You have left her (Miss Seymour) in a financial mess and in emotional turmoil. She even considered taking her own life because she did not think she could cope."
He gave Snape a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered him to do 200 hours unpaid work.
"I am only suspending the sentence so you can begin to repay the money, and you will repay every penny at the tune of £250 a month," said Mr Recorder Cooke.
He also warned Snape that if he breached any of the orders and was brought back to court "Your feet won't touch the ground as you head for the cells."
Mr Sullivan told the court the couple were living together when Snape lost his job at Focus DIY in Tamworth. He did not tell her but borrowed £500. Miss Seymour gave him her debit card and PIN number so he could repay the money.
Mr Martin Liddiard, for Snape, said he felt ashamed when he lost his job.
