A gambling addict who stole scratch cards while working in a shop has been sentenced to 80 hours of community service.

Jayson Albiston, of Mona Street, Douglas, also bought himself a card while overcharging a customer.

The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to offences of fraud by abuse of position and theft.

Prosecuting advocate Roger Kane told the court that Albiston had been working at Ballachrink Stores in Onchan for three weeks on March 21.

The owner called the police saying that he believed Albiston had been taking scratch cards without paying.

CCTV footage showed him taking the cards and scratching them without paying. He would then keep them if they were winning cards.

When interviewed by police Albiston denied the offences, saying he always paid for the cards.

More CCTV footage was then found which showed him overcharge a man who was buying cigarettes by £5 to buy himself a card.

The cash till receipt also showed that the man had been overbilled.

Albiston was interviewed again and admitted overcharging the man and said that he was a gambling addict.

He claimed that he was putting winnings from the cards back in the till so said he was not technically stealing.

However, defence advocate Paul Rodgers said that his client admitted he had been collecting the cash from the winning tickets and using it to buy more cards which would have resulted in a net loss to the company.

A probation report said that Albiston had been ’shocked’ by the whole experience of coming to court and it was unlikely he would be back.

He admitted to probation that he had taken some cards but claimed that he intended to pay the money for them back. He also said that he thought he had placed money beside the till to pay for cards.

Albiston told probation that at the time of the offence he was a gambling addict but he had since sought help from Motiv8.

He also claimed that he had not been paid during his three weeks working at the store but said that this was not a reason for taking the cards.

Albiston said that he had got another job since the offence but then lost it after court reports appeared in the media.

Defence advocate Mr Rodgers asked for the offence to be dealt with by way of a conditional discharge.

’In his head he intended to pay,’ said the advocate. ’But looking back he accepted the wrongdoing.’

Magistrates chair Lisa Horton told Albiston the offence was too serious for a conditional discharge as it had been a breach of trust.

He was also ordered to pay £5 compensation to the man he overcharged.