Man jailed after stealing TV and laptop from his mother
A s o n wh o s to l e f ro m h i s mother after she agreed to give him a place to stay while he was injured has been put behind bars.
Michael Gallagher's longstanding drug addiction had led to his mum giving him handouts and even taking out loans to keep him out of trouble.
Newcastle Crown Court heard when her cash flow d r i e d up, th e 3 1 -yea r - o l d subjected his mum to "threats and abuse" and left her petrified.
When he turned up at her door with a head injury last June, she agreed to let him stay until he was healed.
But the court heard when s h e retu r n e d h o m e f ro m work the following day, over £2,000 of her possessions were gone.
Prosecutor Helen Towers told the court: "She returned home from work to find her television, four Royal Dalton ornaments and a Dell laptop were missing, those having been taken by the defendant."
The court the dishonesty has had a devastating effect on the long-suffering mum, wh o h a s b e e n l e f t f r i g htened.
M i s s Towe r s s a id : "Sh e never thought he would do this to his own mother, after all she has done for him. "She feels betrayed.
"She has tried to do her best for him, give him her last and this is the way he chose to repay her.
"She is frightened of the d e fe n d a nt , f r i g hte n e d h e will come to her house and continue to demand money and what he will stoop to get that money."
Gallagher, of The Royalty, Sunderland, admitted theft.
Judge Tim Gittins sentenced him to 15 months behind bars, with a five-year re s tra i n i n g o rd e r to ke e p him away from his mum.
Judge Gittins said it was a "mean offence" and added: "You committed this offence while she was at work.
"She was, no doubt, earning money, in part to pay off loans she had taken to cover your drug debts."
Glenn Gatland, defending, said Gallagher had a troubled childhood and suffers post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of seeing a friend die in a motorbike accident in the past.
Mr Gatland said Gallagher's disorder flared up as a result of witnessing a fatal attack in the street in Sund e rl a n d a n d h a s b e e n l e f t with flashbacks which stop him sleeping.