**Man Given Suspended Sentence After Stealing £17,000 from Own Father’s Account**
A 26-year-old man from Neath has been condemned by a judge after he admitted to defrauding his own father of more than £17,700. Details heard at Swansea Crown Court revealed that Lewis Morgan, who helped his father set up an online banking app to purchase a van, later accessed the account and began transferring funds to himself over a period of 12 months.
The court was told that Morgan, a roofing supervisor, took calculated measures to hide his activities. After gaining digital access to his father’s bank, Carl John James, Morgan arranged for the regular postal statements to be discontinued. By doing this, he prevented his father from seeing the unauthorised transactions draining his account month by month.
The fraud first came to light when Mr James noticed he was no longer receiving his usual bank statements and visited his branch in Neath to investigate. Bank personnel informed him that a request to stop printed statements had been made via the banking app. Upon reviewing the transaction history, staff found that a series of debits totalling £17,727 were transferred from Mr James’s account to Morgan’s, in amounts varying from as little as £10 to as much as £1,100.
Confronted by his father, Morgan confessed to having stolen the money and apologised, reportedly blaming his actions on being “stuck in a rut.” When the matter was later reported to police, Morgan was interviewed and fully admitted his wrongdoing. He justified his behaviour by referencing family issues and a claimed “lack of proper upbringing” from his father, although the judge noted this did little to excuse the breach of trust.
During the sentencing hearing, a victim impact statement from Mr James was read in court. He described how the theft had left him in debt and emotionally devastated. Particularly striking was his comment that he would have preferred to die than to live through “months of torment” inflicted by his son’s betrayal. He further accused Morgan of using the stolen funds to “live the high life” while he himself spiralled into financial hardship.
Lewis Morgan, formally of New Street, Tonna, Neath, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. The court heard he had only one previous conviction, relating to an incident of drink-driving. His defence barrister, Huw Davies, pointed out that Morgan is in steady employment and contributes half of the mortgage on the house he shares with his mother. Davies argued that an immediate custodial sentence would have serious repercussions for Morgan’s mother, making it difficult for her to keep up with mortgage payments.
In his remarks, Judge Huw Rees took into account the complicated family dynamic that may have contributed to the offending. He acknowledged that father and son “never enjoyed a good relationship” and suggested there may have been an element of “revenge” in Morgan’s motive. Even so, the judge was unequivocal in his condemnation, calling Morgan’s actions “disgraceful” and noting that this episode should be to his “undying shame”.
Despite the severity of the crime, the judge opted to suspend the 12-month prison sentence for a year, reflecting Morgan’s employment status and the potential consequences for other family members. In addition to the suspended sentence, Morgan was ordered to attend a rehabilitation programme and complete 180 hours of unpaid community work. The court also made a compensation order requiring Morgan to pay his father back in full, at a rate of £500 per month.
This case highlights not only the serious repercussions of familial fraud but also the far-reaching impact such betrayal can have on family relationships and financial security. The carefully considered sentence reflects both a measure of mercy and a stern warning about the gravity of such offences.