Search for
Search for
Search forMan stole from grandmother to 'buy friends'
Saturday, October 25, 2008, 08:00
Recluse Darren Rogers stole nearly £11,000 belonging to Alzheimer's sufferer Mary Gibson and spent some of it on drinks and meals for friends, Stafford Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Paul Farrow said Rogers took his gran's bank card from her purse and used it more than 50 times to withdraw cash.
The money was found to be missing when his aunt, Rachel Gibson, made a check on her mother's bank account and found it was £3,300 in the red.
She spoke to her sister, the defendant's mother, and when Rogers was confronted, he confessed.
He said he had lost his job in January this year and had no money for rent or bills. He had used his grandmother's money for rent, food and nights out.
Mr Farrow said that during the months Rogers was stealing, he found himself a job, but carried on taking the cash, a total of £10,993.
Rogers, aged 22, of Cramer Street, Stafford, admitted 10 charges of theft and asked for 46 others to be considered.
Judge John Wait told him: "This was not just a breach of trust towards a family member, but a deliberate abuse of someone who you knew suffered from Alzheimer's, who you knew would be unlikely to complain, and your crime less likely to be discovered."
Harry Lally, defending, said Rogers was "a loner".
"What he stupidly and foolishly tried to do was to buy friends. He spent money on nights out with so-called friends – they weren't aware where the money was coming from. He bought them drinks and meals in order to be liked. He was a recluse searching for friendship.
"His aunts and uncles and their children have disowned him. The only person speaking to him at the moment is his mother.
"In spite of that, none of his family members want him to go to prison."
Comment on this story