A man stole jewellery belonging to his own mother and pawned it after she took him in when he was made homeless.
Michael Battye took more than a dozen sentimental pieces including a ‘Number 1 Mum’ necklace and a wedding ring.
He handed them over to a Dewsbury pawnbrokers in a bid to pay off debts to individuals who had threatened him.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.
Prosecutor Vanessa Jones told the Huddersfield court that on June 24 Battye was evicted but his mum allowed him to stay for a couple of nights at her Birstall home.
On July 9 she returned to the Leeds Road address and found that a blue freezer bag she kept in a hiding place in her bedroom was missing.
Mrs Jones said: “She suspected he’s taken it and told him to leave the property.
“Then she got a text from him saying he was sorry and she allowed him to continue to stay there.”
On July 10 the victim realised some packets of cigarettes she stored down the side of an arm chair in the living room were missing and she again suspected her son was responsible.
She went through his bag in his room and found the paperwork for seven gold rings he had pawned at Moneypenny’s in Corporation Street.
Mrs Jones said that she checked her jewellery box and discovered that various rings were missing.
She told magistrates: “On July 13 she returned home and checked her jewellery box again and found that all of her rings were now gone.
“She noticed that other pieces of jewellery were also gone.”
The jewellery Battye took were seven rings, a rope chain necklace, a necklace with ‘Mum’ on it, an anklet bracelet, two gold pendants, one with ‘Number 1 Mum’ and the other a scroll, gold Maltese earrings, a silver necklace, a gold charm bracelet and a men’s gold wedding band.
Battye sold them to the pawnbrokers for £301 and they were recovered from the shop by police.
He committed the offence while subject to a suspended jail term, magistrates were told.
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Paul Blanchard, mitigating, said that his client never intended to permanently deprive his mum of the jewellery and this was backed up by the fact that he had receipts for everything.
He explained: “He would have made payments to the shop to get the items back.
“He was homeless and incurred significant debts to people of less then good character.
“They started to make threats, including to his mother.
“So he took the items belonging to her, presented them as his own and secured £310.
“It’s through coercion, as a consequence of pressure for financial outstanding matters and no planning was involved at all.”
Magistrates ordered Battye, of no fixed address, to pay £301 compensation to MoneyPenny’s.
He was fined £165 and will have to pay £85 costs and £30 victim surcharge.
