© Newcastle Chronicle Newcastle Crown Court

A thieving daughter who stole her mum’s life savings and blew it on gambling has been spared prison.

Nicola Morris helped herself to cash in a shameful betrayal of trust after becoming addicted to betting. Her parents had kept cash in a suitcase in their home due to a lack of trust with regard to banks.

Morris, of Gateshead, stole some of it and wasted it laying bets online, which left her with a net loss of around £34,000. However the victim pleaded for mercy for her daughter, who is her carer, and a judge suspended her prison sentence.

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Judge Robert Adams, at Newcastle Crown Court, told Morris: “You express that you are sickened by your actions, as you rightly should be. You became addicted to gambling as a form of escapism and are deeply ashamed.”

The court heard Morris used to care for both of her parents but her dad died in 2021. Judge Adams said her parents, particularly her dad, did not trust banks and stored their life savings in a suitcase in the bedroom.

After her dad died, Morris and her mother counted the cash and found there was £50,000. In November last year, her mum discovered the money and suitcase it was in had gone.

Judge Adams said: “The only person that knew about it was you. It was a significant breach of trust. You had a key and visited every day.”

The court heard Morris’ mother initially reported the theft to the police but later withdrew her support for the prosecution. Morris is currently her mum’s carer, for which she receives carer’s allowance, and is repaying her for the loss she caused.

The police investigation showed cash had been desposited into two accounts belonging to Morris – £17,000 into a Lloyds account and £10,950 into a Halifax account. She was initially charged with stealing £28,000 but pleaded guilty on the basis it was £25,000.

Using the Lloyds account, she had won £26,000 from gambling but spent £49,000 while using the Halifax account she had won £45,000 and spent £56,000. That meant, in total, she had lost £34,000.

Morris, 41, of Blackhill Crescent, Gateshead, who has six previous convictions, including for benefit fraud in 2004 and failing to get a child to school in 2012, pleaded guilty to theft. She was sentenced to 12 months suspended for 18 months with rehabilitation.

The judge told her: “There is a letter from your mum. You are her full-time carer and she would not be able to cope without your support and she requests to keep you out of prison.

“You describe yourself as being beyond ashamed. You have now stopped gambling and are paying your mother back at a low rate.

“Your mother appears to have forgiven you for what you have done. You appear to have been overwhelmed by circumstances when you started gambling.”

Rachel Hedworth, defending, said Morris acted out of character, is paying the money back and said there is a low likelihood of reoffending and that she would be vulnerable in custody.

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