A Perth man who stole £300 from his disabled mother’s bank account has been told he committed a ”despicable” crime.
Robert Lomas appeared in the dock at Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday after admitting the crime, which left Sheriff Lindsay Foulis sickened.
The 37-year-old, of Newhouse Road, pled guilty to stealing his housebound mother’s bank card from her Rannoch Road flat and using it to withdraw £300, which he kept, from a nearby cash machine, on May 11.
Jailing Lomas for eight months, Sheriff Foulis said: ”This was really despicable and I don’t buy the suggestion that it’s not as bad because it’s inter-family. Your record is horrendous and custody is appropriate.”
Depute fiscal Carol Whyte said: ”The mother of the accused is 64 and suffers leg ulcers and uses a Zimmer frame. She lives alone at the locus, assisted by members of her family.
”At about 10am on May 11 the accused and his partner went to the house. The complainer told the accused’s partner she had to pay a bill to the council for £60 and gave her her bank card and asked her to withdraw the £60 from the post office in Rannoch Road.
”She put her personal identification number on a piece of paper. The accused went with his partner and returned to the house 15 minutes later to give the bank card and cash to her. They then left the flat later that morning.”
She said the woman realised her bank card was missing the next day and could not find it in the flat.
She went on: ”Her daughter arrived and they continued the search and then she was advised to contact the bank to cancel her card. The police were then contacted and made aware by the bank of the withdrawal of £300.
”The accused’s partner was spoken to by police and that led to the accused being spoken to.”
He was cautioned and charged with stealing the bank card, to which he replied ”I’m sorry”.
In response to being charged with stealing the cash, he said: ”I apologise. I will pay every penny back.”
Lomas’ solicitor, Paul Ralph, said: ”Mr Lomas recognises just how low he has sunk with this offence. I understand he is welcome back at the house, but he still has work to do to rebuild the bridges.”