Shropshire Star

Former golf prodigy stole £10,000 from Shropshire pub where he worked

A one-time golfing boy wonder stole nearly £10,000 from his Ludlow pub landlord bosses to fund a spiralling gambling addiction, a court heard.

Published
Tom Lowery tees off at age 14 when he was hotly tipped for a great golfing career

In his teens Thomas Lowery was ranked the second best golfer in Wales and looked set to follow in the footsteps of his father Peter in the professional ranks.

But he "threw it away" and was already at a low ebb when he accepted an offer from Alan and Angela Ebbon to work at the Blue Boar pub in the town.

Telford Magistrates Court heard Lowery, now 23, soon rose to a position of trust as a weekend supervisor at the bar. But as his debts escalated he started taking cash in June 2012.

Miss Katie Price, prosecuting, said Mr and Mrs Ebbon discovered thousands had gone missing in December of that year during a routine stock check.

She told the court Mrs Ebbon confronted Lowery who admitted he was responsible – and she agreed to give him another chance providing he paid the money back.

Miss Price said Lowery did pay £800 back – but also continued to steal up until the end of May last year. The total amount taken was said to be £9,700, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mrs Ebbon said the thefts had a significant financial and emotional impact on their lives. She said the couple had suffered "sleepless nights" and had even been forced to take out a loan to stabilise the business.

Lowery, formerly of Quarry Gardens, Ludlow, but now living in Surrey, had admitted theft from an employer at a previous hearing and appeared at court yesterday for sentencing.

Mr Dean Easthope, for Lowery, said: "He is a very remorseful man who comes from a very respectable family. His mother is an estate agent and his father is a golf professional.

"He attended Church Stretton School and went on to Ludlow College but didn't really achieve anything. He found it very difficult to get work and felt he was a disappointment to his parents.

"Thomas was the second best golfer in Wales at the age of 14 and looked set for a bright future in the professional game. Unfortunately he threw that away, much to the amazement and disappointment of his parents."

Mr Easthope said Lowery secured a job in the pub after starting a relationship with Mr and Mrs Ebbon's daughter – but developed a gambling addiction months after starting work there.

"He was losing on average around £100 a week and this was simply not sustainable on a barman's wage. He became depressed and began to become financially stretched, so he did it to get out of that situation."

Magistrates sentenced Lowery - who has found a new job at a hotel and conference centre in Surrey - to a community order for 12 months to include 60 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay the money back in full to the couple as well as court costs of £85 and a £60 government victim surcharge.

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