A FRUIT-MACHINE addict swindled shops and department stores of £2,700 to fuel his passion for gambling.
Ian Curran, 27, conned CDs, karaoke equipment and vouchers out of stores across Sunderland and Washington.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how, between April and May of last year, unemployed Curran rang shops and gave stolen or forged credit card details for goods to be delivered to his home.
He exchanged telephones in department stores across the region for money-vouchers - just two weeks after being released from court for similar charges.
He was released on a suspended sentence from Durham Crown Court in April after facing charges of obtaining property by deception,
The court heard that Curran begged amusement arcades in Sunderland to ban him from entering their premises because of his overpowering addiction to one-arm bandits.
Curran, of Regent Court, Gateshead, wept as he was led away from the dock to begin a 12-month sentence
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