A FRAUDSTER who stole from his own father has narrowly avoided being sent to prison.

Jonothan Law, 26, of Edinburgh Street, pleaded guilty to using a credit card to rack up bills of over £1,200 when he appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court last week.

The offending took place between July and August this year when he used the MBNA card to withdraw cash and purchase goods.

Pauline Lambert, prosecuting, told the court that it was not the first time that Law’s dad had been the target of his son’s offending.

She added: “Despite these convictions, he allowed his son to stay at his home this year.

“He had an MBNA card delivered, he had never used it but it disappeared – he found it had been activated online in June this year.

“He became suspicious that perhaps his son had used the card and confronted him – he is hurt by his son’s actions and wants the court to recover the money that was taken.

“Also he says he wants his son to understand there are consequences to this behaviour and to get help with his drug problem.”

The court heard that during his police interview, Law told officers that he had a cannabis habit that had reached £60 a day and was controlling him – he expressed remorse for his actions.

Alexis Pink, defending Law, said: “He has been using cannabis since the age of 14, he’s now 26.

“His money that he was receiving from his employment didn’t cover his outgoings including his cannabis use. He saw this credit card and thought that it was an easy way of getting the money.

“He now realises he has lost significantly more than he had ever bargained for.”

Ms Pink told the court that Law had managed to keep his job even after coming clean to his employers. She added that he is now in a new relationship with a partner who is against drugs which he claims is helping to keep him away from cannabis.

District Judge Simon Cooper, sentencing Law, said: “It is only your father’s strong, loving, supportive reaction to this offence that has stopped me rising and sending you down for an immediate 18 week custodial sentence.

“You have acknowledged your dependence on cannabis – it’s a very dangerous substance, it ruins the lives of so many young men that I see in this court.”

Describing the offence as a “gross breach of trust carried out over a sustained period” he imposed a sentence of 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

Law will also have to carry out 130 hours unpaid work in the community and pay his father back the full amount stolen of £1,212.99 at a rate of £30 per week.