Ponteland man Ryan Freeman avoids prison after admitting to stealing almost £200k from Jan Forster estate agents to spend on gambling

Ryan Freeman, now 25, worked as an administrative assistant at Jan Forster Estates, but made fraudulent payments to his own bank account over a four-year period.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that the suspicious behaviour was flagged up during a routine check on payments carried out by the business in May 2021.

Freeman, who was around 21 when he began the offending, made 266 payments from a dormant account that was designed to pay out money to landlords from the business.

However, the money was going direct to his own HSBC account.

Mr Recorder Mark Guiliani said: “Aged 16, Mr Freeman began working in a local estate agents in Newcastle called Jan Forster’s.

“Jan Forster's had put him through accountancy qualifications, as a result of which he was given access and control of their client accounts.”

However, the court heard that Freeman then activated a dormant account and transferred money into his own account, doing so bit by bit.

The judge said: “He transferred relatively small amounts of money in sums of hundreds of pounds. However, over that period he made 266 of these transactions.

“In total, he transferred £195,499.61. The reason for this is that he was addicted to online gambling.”

The court heard that Freeman was suspended from work pending a disciplinary hearing, which was due to take place in June of last year.

However, two days prior to it, he e-mailed the company admitting his wrong-doing and tendered his resignation.

Over a six-month period alone, Freeman, of Fox Covert Lane, Ponteland, was said to have transferred £20,166 to his bank account.

He was arrested and later pleaded guilty to theft and false accounting.

The court heard that after the thefts came to light, Freeman's family paid back £40,000 to the company, with the intention of sending the rest in blocks.

Brian Hegarty, mitigating, told the court that Freeman himself was also paying money back to his former employers after managing to secure work elsewhere.

The judge told Freeman that he was just able to suspend the term of imprisonment given his mitigation and previous good character.

He imposed a two-year sentence, suspended for two years. Freeman must also complete 250 hours of unpaid work.

The judge added: “This has had a devastating effect on a small, local business and a devastating effect on the owners.”

In a victim impact statement, Jan Forster, who runs her business alongside her husband, said: “We have supported Ryan in every way possible as employers.

“As a result of the theft, we have had to pay back money from our own savings.

“Ryan's actions have resulted in our own mental well-being deteriorating substantially.”

Questioning his remorse, Ms Forster added: “We have no doubt that had Ryan not have been caught, the crime would still be on-going.”

Referring to his client’s gambling addiction, Mr Hegarty said: “It was an employee (at the estate agents) who introduced him to this sort of behaviour and it quickly got a hold of him.

“He has wasted all of it to online gambling sites, nothing to show for it whatsoever.

“But there have been efforts made by the defendant and his family to recompense the estate agents.”