Son who stole from mother is spared jail

A FORMER drug addict who stole his elderly mother’s life savings was spared jail after the pensioner forgave him.

Michael Pothecary fleeced the bank account of 81-year-old Margaret Pothecary to pay off debts.

When the pensioner discovered her account had gone into the red she realised what had happened but did not want to call in the police, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Her son then gave himself in.

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Mrs Pothecary said in a victim impact statement read in court: “I’m at breaking point.

“My eyesight isn’t good so I haven’t been able to scrutinise any statements.”

But David Wain, prosecuting, said Mrs Pothecary still lived with her son at Highthorn Road, Kilnhurst, near Rotherham, and “wants him to remain with her”.

The court heard he helps her with housework and shopping.

Pothecary, 45, admitted theft from his mother’s bank account over a three-month period until his arrest in March this year.

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He obtained £1,640, only stopping when his mother tried to make a transaction and found there was only 77p left.

Samina Rashid, defending, said Pothecary took the money to pay for debts he ran up on a mobile phone bill when he was in hospital following a heart attack.

Judge Graham Robinson told Pothecary: “I accept you are paying the money back.

“I should jolly well think so, particularly as your mother still provides a roof over your head.”

The judge said he would not jail the defendant, as his mother still wanted him to live with her.

Instead, Pothecary was given a 12-month community order with supervision.

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