HARTLEPOOL, U.K.–A man who was volunteering with Hartlepool Credit Union here pleaded guilty to stealing more than £5,000 from a credit union to spend on computer gaming and vacation trips.
The Hartlepool Magistrates Court said that Aaron Relton used his computer skills to transfer credit union funds into his own card account.
The theft occurred while Relton was doing four weeks of paid employment with credit union, according to Prosecutor Sarah Traynor, who said Relton electronically transferred the funds to his account.
“He did this by making many small transactions over a period of a few months,” prosecutors were quoted as saying. “When interviewed by police, he said he had spent the money on computer games, takeaways, and paying board to his mother. A gaming computer valued at £800 was found in his bedroom.”
Relton, 26, admitted theft between January and September, this year.
According to testimony given in court, Relton studied information technology at college and previously worked for the Hartlepool Mail and Marks and Spencer. He was volunteering at the credit union while receiving government aid. “
The magistrates sentenced Relton to 200 hours of community work, and ordered him to pay £3,000 compensation to Hartlepool Credit Union at £20 per week.