Man took thousands from elderly man to pay off debts

Officers (pictured here) arrested Mark Tems in May after he admitted to his victim that he had stolen the money

A man stole more than £25,000 from an elderly man to pay off his own gambling debts, in a crime that police described as a "betrayal of trust".

Mark Tems, 63, pleaded guilty to taking large quantities of cash from his victim's home in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, police said.

The force said Tems knew the man, who was in his mid-80s, and let himself into the house while his victim was out at some point between August 2023 and January 2024, after learning about the stash of cash inside two safes.

Tems pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday.

Nottinghamshire Police said Tems, of Mansfield Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, decided to burgle the victim's home after getting his hands on keys for the address and the two safes inside.

The victim only realised the money was missing at the start of last year, and Tems admitted to stealing from the man after he was confronted by him.

Tems was arrested in May and charged with burglary.

As well as his suspended prison sentence, he will also be required to complete 150 hours of unpaid work over the next year.

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.

"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."