PC Salesman Who Stole £96k for Gambling Avoids Prison

Martyn Owenson, a former PC salesman who stole £96,529 to pay back massive gambling debts, has avoided prison.

The 28-year-old worked for Currys PC World, a British electronics retail chain, and created false sales receipts to pocket the store’s money.

When detectives arrested Owenson for stealing the money, he originally told them that he only took £15,000 over 12 months. But prosecutors were able to prove that he stole much more than this, with the final total being £96,529.

Owenson was using stolen money to pay off gambling debts that he accrued through online football betting.

Prosecutors detailed how he earned just over £1,100 a month as a PC World team leader, and used his co-workers’ log-in details to create some of the false receipts. This nearly cast suspicion on the co-workers, but detectives were quickly able to determine the real thief.

Owenson’s defense attorney tried to say that the client could only repay £5,758 of the £96.5k that he stole, meaning he was likely facing prison time for his inability to pay back the theft.

But the judge told the Gillingham, Kent native that he can avoid prison by using his new call center job to pay off the debts. Owenson was also given leniency because he’s attending sessions for his gambling problem.

According to The Express, Owenson was given 16 months in prison, suspended for two years. But he can avoid jail time by paying back the money, carrying out 250 hours of unpaid work, and following an 11-hour tagged curfew for one year.

In court hearings, Owenson pleaded guilty to theft by an employee between September 2013 and August 2014 in a Sittingbourne, Kent-based PC World.

The defense attorney, Jacob Edwards, told Record David Elvin QC at Maidstone Crown Court that his client truly though that he only stole £15k.

“This was stupidity that got out of hand and he himself was surprised at the extent,” said Edwards.

“He was gambling at the time with Sky Bet, betting on football results and the like, and what a wake-up call this has been. Since the date of his arrest he has not gambled at all.”

Recorder Elvin said that it’s possible Owenson didn’t really now how much he stole from the store, but he at least knew of the “frequent nature” of the thefts.

Given the lack of prison time, it seems that Edwards’ argument must have gotten Owenson more leniency.