A BRECHIN man tried to commit suicide after gambling away nearly £70,000 on his parents’ credit cards, a court heard yesterday.

Richard Mahan (25) racked up the huge losses during a two-hour late-night internet betting spree, after earlier amassing a profit of over £90,000 at one stage.

Mahan admitted a 13-charge indictment of obtaining £68,146 by fraud by pretending to William Hill online betting, Leeds, that he was the lawful holder of his parents’ cards in a bid to induce it to accept them in payment for betting facilities when he appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court.

The offences were committed at his home at Trinity village, near Brechin, on April 2 and 3 last year. Sums taken from the cards, belonging to father James and mother Linda, ranged from £1373 to £9300.

In response to a question from Sheriff Kevin Veal over whether there had been any repayment, depute fiscal Brian Bell said, “I don’t think so.”

Mr Bell said Mahan, now of Portal Crescent, Aberdeen, had been ahead by over £90,000 within an hour of his online betting. But he continued gambling and started losing, using 13 separate credit cards.

“When the credit cards went dry, losses amounted to £68,000,” said Mr Bell.

Between what he had won and lost and the sums he had taken from his parents’ cards, the total loss was almost £160,000 said the fiscal. Mr Bell went on, “He then attempted to commit suicide.”

Credit card companies then contacted Mahan’s father, the holder of the majority of the cards, and told him unless the matter was reported to police, their insurance policy would not come into place and the couple would have to replace the money.

John Clancy, defending, described internet gambling as a 21st century scourge, likening it to that of heroin and alcohol.

Sheriff Veal said, “If £150,000 can be lost at that time in the morning, away from members of his family, over clandestine trading over the internet, there is a problem that requires to be addressed.”

He warned Mahan the sums involved were so great a prison sentence may be imposed, in the public interest.

The sheriff called for community service, social inquiry, restriction of liberty order and psychiatric reports to be prepared as he deferred sentence on Mahan to July 13.

Mr Bell said he would also address the sheriff then with a fuller narrative.