A man stole more than £25,000 from a pensioner he knew in order to pay off his own gambling debts.
Mark Tems broke into the property in the village of Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, after getting hold of keys for the address and two safes inside, police said.
The 63-year-old took large quantaties of cash from the safes while the homeowner, who is in his mid-80s, was out.
Tems pocketed more than £25,000 which he spent in its entirety to pay off mounting gambling debts.
The break-in is believed to have taken place at some point between August 2023 and January 2024, Nottinghamshire Police said.
The victim, however, only realised the money was missing at the start of last year.
The offender was arrested last May and later charged with burglary.
Tems, of Mansfield Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield, went on to admit to the offence in court.
Tems was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Nottingham Crown Court
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He was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Nottingham Crown Court on November 20.
The burglar was also told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work over the next year and ordered to pay a surcharge.
PC Nicola Garrow said: "Mark Tems betrayed the trust of an elderly man he knew by deciding to do what he did.
“Knowing his victim’s home contained large amounts of cash and that he could access keys to the property, Tems took advantage of this position for his own gain.
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“We know he pocketed at least £25,000 from two safes inside the address, with the cash then being used to immediately pay off the intruder’s own gambling debts.
“Whatever the motivations behind his decision to break-in and steal, this was an incredibly serious offence, so we’re pleased to see he’s now been sentenced for it.”
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