A 'mean' grandson stole from his elderly grandmother and swiped his cousin's bank card out of his wallet while they slept.
Banned driver Ryan Connell also took his cousin's wife's car without her consent and used it to travel to local shops in order to fraudulently use the card. A court heard that the 27-year-old spent a total of £110 during over three transactions until the victim realised it was missing and had been used.
When the thief later returned to his grandmother's Ashington home, he was confronted by her and immediately admitted what he'd done, prosecutors said. CCTV footage also showed Connell driving his cousin's wife's car and using the stolen bank card in stores in Ashington.
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Connell, of Roslin Park, in Bedlington, has now been given a chance to stay out of trouble after he pleaded guilty to theft, taking a vehicle without the owner's consent, three counts of fraud, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance. Giving him an 18-month community order, Ms Recorder Smith said: "These were mean offences against members of your own family - your grandmother, who is 72, and your cousin and his wife, who have indicated they want nothing more to do with you.
"You say you are disgusted with yourself and so you should be. You have an unattractive record. You have been before these courts of previous occasions and have been given opportunities to turn your life around and, thus far, you have not taken advantage of those opportunities. You are the author of your own misfortune."
Newcastle Crown Court was told that Connell had been staying "on and off" at his grandmother's house at the time of the offences on May 2 this year. Emma Dowling, prosecuting, continued: "There has been concerns about the defendant previously taking things from her. Things became so bad that she took her purse to bed and had locks on the fridge and freezer."
Ms Dowling said the pensioner kept a spare key for her other grandson's wife's car in her handbag and, while she was sleeping, Connell helped himself to it and a £230 Hoover. He then went into his cousin's home, took a bank card from his wallet and got behind the wheel of his wife's car.
Ms Dowling added: "The cousin became aware that his bank card had been used three times and £110.18 had been spent. He realised someone must have been in their address because his wallet was missing and that wallet contained that bank card.
"He also realised that his wife's Renault Clio had been taken from outside their address. That was the car for which the defendant's grandmother had the spare key."
In a statement, Connell's cousin's wife said they'd been left feeling angry, adding: "My husband now permanently works from home so I can feel semi-safe. I have had to change the locks on our doors and put the car in the garage."
The court was told that, Connell, who has 23 offences on his record, had been homeless at the time but has since obtained full-time employment as a grounds worker and is "excelling" in his new role. Ellen Wright, defending, said: "His six-year-old daughter died two-years-ago in 2020 and his life spiralled out of control.
"He bottled-up his emotions and didn't deal with his grief and his inability to deal with his grief caused the relationship with his partner to completely breakdown. It was a gradual process, which ultimately culminated in the relationship ending. As a result, he was required to move out of the family home. He moved out of the family home shortly before the commission of these offences."
As well as the community order, Connell must do 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £230 compensation to his grandmother. He was also fined £200, must pay £500 costs and was banned from driving for a further six months. He was also made subject of a two-year restraining order, which bans him from contacting his cousin or his wife.
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