Husband who stole from wife avoids jail
A husband stole more than £16,000 from his wife to buy drugs and drown his sorrows after losing his job at a Black Country bakery, a court heard.
A husband stole more than £16,000 from his wife to buy drugs and drown his sorrows after losing his job at a Black Country bakery, a court heard.
Malcolm Hayward took £2,300 on wife Esther's debit card and £13,500 from her credit card over 10 months. He also cashed a cheque for £1,136.52. The couple, together for 20 years and wed for five, are divorcing.
At Stafford Crown Court Malcolm Hayward, aged 37, yesterday got a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years after admitting three counts of theft.
He was also told to do 120 hours unpaid work for the community, pay back his wife, 36, and to pay £200 court costs.
Hayward began stealing from her after losing his delivery driver job in August 2007 at Warburtons, Wednesbury, following a dispute over a problem with a tachograph.
Mr Pat Sullivan, prosecuting, said that, at first, Hayward told police he was blackmailed by another woman but later said he turned to drugs and alcohol due to depression and used the debit card to withdraw £200 a time. He then started using a credit card.
Mrs Hayward first found money was missing in May and called in police.
Mr Sullivan said: "You can imagine her horror when she discovered he had been withdrawing money from her account and had got her into considerable debt."
Mr Neil Chawla, defending, said Hayward was of previous good character and now was carer for his elderly parents. He said: "He is ashamed of what he has done. He is trying to get his life back on track now and has lost the woman he loved."
Hayward is living with his parents in Bilston, as the couple try to sell their family home.
He said, from Fair Oaks Drive, last night: "I just want to move on now and get my life back on track."