A MAN who stole thousands of pounds from his boss and friend of 20 years to fund his gambling habit has avoided prison.

Paul Freeman, 44, was handed an 18-month sentence suspended over two years for siphoning money into his own account after Ross Eaton, his employer, appointed him head of ECS Plumbing and Heating in Four Marks, near Alresford.

Sentencing, Judge Timothy Mousley KC told Freeman: "You committed theft. You stole £10,638.86 from a business known as ECS Plumbing and Heating. You were employed by them. You had a position of considerable responsibility with them and you were well remunerated, and all of that came after the person you stole from had befriended you."

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Prosecutor Lucie Taylor told the court how Freeman and Mr Eaton's friendship stretched back for two decades.

She said that Freeman, now of Hall Road, Blofield, Norwich, had started stealing the money in May 2022, but "the straw that broke the camel's back" was when he fled to Norfolk for five days in April 2023, lying to his boss that he had to go and visit his mother.

He later confessed to Mr Eaton that this was false and that he had gone away because he was stressed. 

Ms Taylor also read out the following statement by Mr Eaton: "I had a lot of trust in [Freeman]. My wife and kids and myself have been impacted by this, and have struggled to understand how someone close to us could do this."

He added: "We were paying £50,000 a year for someone to steal from us."

Speaking to the Chronicle after the sentencing, Mr Eaton said: "To be honest, I think it’s more closure for us now. It’s been going on for so long. I think it would have been nice to get a prison sentence – if he’d gotten a few months it would have been better, given it was so calculated and given the friendship."

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About the impact of Freeman's actions on the family business, he said: "We feel it’s cost us up to £50,000 – we’re just getting it back off the ground now."

Paul Fairley, mitigating, pointed to the “clear and genuine level of remorse” shown by Freeman.

He said: “He knows he has wrecked by his actions a very long-standing and close relationship.”

As well as the suspended sentence, Freeman has been ordered to pay Mr Eaton £6,000 – most of the debt has already been paid back – as well as to complete 175 hours of unpaid work.