A factory worker who funded his gambling addiction by drug dealing spent more than £120 per minute as he tore through a £22,000 redundancy payout.
Mark Petticrew, 26, was given the money when he was made redundant from the Michelin tyre plant in Dundee in 2018.
He managed to spend every penny of it in just three hours of online gambling, a source close to his case has claimed.
Petticrew had become addicted to online bookmaker sites before his redundancy, spending all of his wages and racking up debts.
He turned to dealing drugs to fund his addiction, eventually being jailed for 28 months in September after he admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
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Although he was only found to be carrying £90 worth of the class A drug, police discovered his mobile phone contained at least a year’s worth of texts showing the extent of his dealing.
In texts, he claimed to be selling the ‘best coke in Dundee’ and bank transfers showed he even made £130 on Christmas Day.
He was back in court today to face a Proceeds of Crime hearing as prosecutors attempted to claim back £4,600 of cash found during a search of Petticrew’s home.
But sheriff William Wood confirmed the claim would be abandoned after investigators discovered a trail of betting-related debts in his name.
A source close to Petticrew said: ‘He has no money at all now, just debts. The Crown were looking for his profits but anything he made was spent online and it’s all gone.
‘He spent more than £22,000 he was given as a payoff in about three hours. It demonstrates how quickly your money can disappear online.’
Fiscal depute Mairi Graham told Perth Sheriff Court that the large sum of cash was found when officers raided the home Petticrew shared with his mother on January 21, 2019.
Solicitor Gary McIlravey, defending, said he claimed the cash was part of a large win he had online a fortnight before the police raid.
He said: ‘Whilst he was online gambling, he had a successful win of £12,031. That payment is detailed in his bank statement.
‘It was withdrawn from the bank and he asked his mother to look after the sum of £4,600 as he knew he would fritter it away.’
