A former British Special Forces serviceman used his elderly mother’s credit card to gamble £12,000 in a 24 hour splurge because he was drunk and bored, forcing her to sell her home and move to Australia. 

David Apps, 57, blew his mother Anne Bates’ money on a sports betting site during a one day stay at her home in Eastleigh, Hampshire, in July last year, leaving her penniless. 

Apps, who lives in affluent Chelsea in West London, went on a drunken betting spree, making 31 transactions totalling £11,900 after registering her card on Spreadex. 

His elderly mother sold up her home having been left unable to pay her bills and emigrated to Australia to live with her daughter.

Sentencing him, a judge at Southampton Crown Court questioned why Apps – who currently works as a director of special projects at the United Arab Emirates government – would feel the need to steal from his mother ‘with his level of income’.

David Apps, 57, fleeced his elderly mother out of £12,000 and blew it on a gambling site because he was bored, leaving her penniless and having to sell her home

According to his LinkedIn, he previously worked as a police officer in Australia, and also served in both the Australian and British Special Forces.

Prosecutor Nicola Sully told the court how only Apps and his mum had access to her credit card.

She said: ‘There were 10 transactions totalling £4,100 and 21 further transactions totalling £7,800.’

Spreadex is a UK-based sports betting side which has been trading since 1999.

According to Ms Sully, Apps ‘accepts he gambled the money as a result of boredom and drinking’.

She added: ‘It can be considered an abuse of trust between an elderly mother and her son.

‘Ms Bates has had to consider giving up her life here because of this.’

Apps’ mother was so distressed by the gambling when it was discovered that she recently sold her apartment and moved to live with her daughter in Australia.

She told the court her son’s actions have left her ‘financially vulnerable’, adding: ‘This has made me unable to cover my bills and prompted me to put my apartment for sale and move to Australia.

‘I can’t believe David did this and I want him to be held accountable, but he is my son and I love him.

‘I want to reiterate that I absolutely did not give David permission to take this money.’

Emily Lanham, mitigating, said Apps maxed out his mother’s credit cards due to his gambling addiction.

She said: ‘Apps had some loans he was paying off, and he was spending £5,000 a month on gambling.

‘He has a great deal of remorse. He is willing and wants to provide for his mother and reduce the burden that this offending has brought on her.’

Apps pleaded guilty to fraud by representation. He appeared at Southampton Crown Court (pictured) today with his sentencing being deferred until July

Deferring final sentence until July, Judge Nicholas Rowland said: ‘He had permission to use the card, but not to blow his mother’s money on gambling.

‘Before July 15, you must pay £1,500 per month directly to Anne Bates, prove repayment of the total sums defrauded… you must also pay a significant additional sum to compensate Anne Bates for psychological trauma and provide proof of continued counselling.’

Apps pleaded guilty to fraud by representation in October of last year.