A GAMBLING addict who stole thousands from his place of work work has walked free from court after a judge heard his bipolar condition led him to crime.

Gavin Miller plundered more than £15,000 from car company Fish Brothers and staked it all at the bookmakers.

And the 38-year-old even kept the envelopes the cash came in, thinking he would be able to pay it back when he hit a winning streak.

But after hearing Miller’s mental condition fed the gambling a judge decided a suspended sentence would allow him to get help for his problems.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court the defendant had worked at the car dealer’s body shop in Elgin Drive from December 2010.

He was responsible for the day-to- running of the branch and was the only member of staff who had a key to the safe, which had a post box for staff to put payments in.

Between the start of 2011 and the end of May he took 22 envelopes of cash home, totalling £14,606.26.

He also stole £750 from petty cash and a further £761.34 by not paying suppliers for parts which were supplied to customers.

When he was arrested police found the envelopes at his home.

They had the amounts which had been inside written on them, and he admitted what he had been doing.

He said he had hoped he could pay back the money, which he had used for gambling and debts run up from previous betting, but realised that wasn’t going to happen.

Miller, now of Bournemouth, admitted three counts of theft.

Carl Woolf, defending, said his client wanted to apologise for what he had done and for the loss he had caused his employers.

He said the fact that he suffered from bipolar disorder had an effect on his gambling and the two conditions fed off one another.

While most gamblers did it to try and win he said Miller was driven by the thrill and would not gamble on ‘dead certs’ but outsiders, as it was more exciting.

He said he was going through a “manic phase” when he left his modest flat in Bournemouth to come to Swindon, and was living in a property he couldn’t afford.

After falling behind with the rent, as he was gambling away his money, he started to steal from work in a way which meant he was going to be found out.

He said Miller had stayed away from crime in the past because he had the support of his family but having moved away that was lost to him.

Passing sentence, Recorder Michael Vere-Hodge QC said: “You are obviously someone in the past who has held down good jobs, earning good money.

“You are here before me pretty much at rock bottom. As you said the only way is upwards.

“It seems to me the decision I have to make is whether to suspend the sentence.

“It is your insight to what has gone wrong, what you have done since detection to try and get your life back on track.

“Getting stabilised on medication is the starting point, which has enabled me to suspend the sentence.”

He imposed a nine-month jail term suspended for 18 months and ordered Miller to take the medical help he was offered and do 100 hours of unpaid work.