by Lynn Cox

lcox@thekmgroup.co.uk

The hardest thing we have ever had to do - that was how parents described the decision to tell police their son had taken their credit cards and run up thousands of pounds of debt.

Gambling addict Christopher Cory spent more than £23,000 on the cards which he found after rifling through his stepmother’s underwear drawer.

Medway magistrates heard that 31-year-old Cory had been living with his father Martin and stepmother Julia in Gillingham when he used their cards to feed his habit.

During the time he was using the cards, Cory spent most of the cash via online gambling sites but had managed to win back more than £11,000.

Prosecutor Nicholas Markedale read out an impact statement from Mr and Mrs Cory which said they had lived with their son’s gambling addiction for many years and that this was not the first the first time he had used their cards, without their knowledge, to gamble.

This time they felt they had not option but to tell the police what he had done as, if they hadn’t, they would have to pay all the money back to the credit card companies. They were struggling to even pay their own bills, as Mrs Cory was not working due to ill health.

The couple also wrote in the statement that the decision to tell the police what had happened was the hardest they’d ever had to make.

They said they loved their son very much and the family would always be there for him but they couldn’t live with his addiction any more.

Corey, who now lives in Wallasey, Merseyside, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false representation. He was given a 180 day jail sentence suspended for 12 months and was ordered to pay £11,243.25 in compensation to his parents plus £85 court costs.

Rob Western, defending, told magistrates that Cory was very remorseful and had used the money he won while gambling to pay some of the debt back.

Chairman of the bench, Gerald Bartlett, said: “You have escaped jail by the skin of your teeth.

“You have caused a lot of distress to your father and stepmother. It was an appalling breach of trust.

“We feel you must go to Gamblers Anonymous to get help for you addiction, and you must do this now, not next week.”