A MAN addicted to drugs and gambling systematically drained a neighbour's savings to fund his habits.

Matthew Claridge’s wife was asked by their neighbour to look after his cat after he went on holiday in August 2015.

But Claridge, 29, took advantage to gain access to the man's house himself.

While inside, he found a folder full of statements relating to an ISA (individual savings account) which contained £19,833 and emptied the account into one of his own over the course of a year.

Just 18p was left in it when the neighbour discovered the fraud in August last year.

Oxford Crown Court heard he used the money primarily to fund an addiction to cocaine, which had started when he was a teenager.

The court heard Claridge, of New Yatt Road, Witney, had turned to substance abuse as a teenager when his mother died and his father suddenly left one Boxing Day to live with a new partner in South America. An older brother looked after him.

At the time he decided to steal the savings he was spending up to £500 a week on drugs.

By the time he had access to his neighbour's money, that spending had soared to £1,000 a week.

He also had a debt of about £2,500 to dealers, the court heard.

When his interest in drugs waned, he dabbled in gambling – losing up to £750 a week on that habit.

Addressing the court Claridge said: “I would like to apologise for the offence that I’ve caused and the distress I’ve caused. I’m a completely changed person.”

He added: “I am not the sort of person I was. When I am not on drugs I am a nice person.”

He is expecting his first child with his wife next spring and they are currently living with her parents.

She had given him an ultimatum that he had to stop all drug abuse or their marriage would be over.

The court heard Claridge had been clean of drugs for some years before the habit was reignited after his father briefly returned.

Lloyds Bank has refunded the victim all of the money he had lost through Claridge’s crime.

Recorder Paul Cook acknowledged Claridge has now ‘turned his life around’, in part because of the threat made by his wife.

Although the offence was so serious only a custodial sentence was appropriate, that could be suspended, the judge said.

He gave Claridge a prison term of 12 months for the burglary offence and nine months, to run concurrently, for fraud. That has been suspended for 24 months.

Claridge, who admitted the offences, must also complete 200 hours unpaid work and pay a £140 victim surcharge.