Heating engineer jailed after stealing 24K to fund Coke habit
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A heating engineer was jailed this week for 18 mounts after stealing while in customers homes the judge called Gavin Seager a “callous and mean” drug user.
The suffolk heating engineer who stole cash and property worth £24,000 from customers while working various companies on there heating systems in their homes to feed a cocaine habit has been jailed for 18 months.
Upon sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court Recorder, Graham Huston described the offences as “selfish and cruel” and said some of the victims were elderly and trusted Gavin Seager to carry out the work.
Seager is accused of having no regard for the feelings of his victims, many whom were elderly and had lost jewellery of sentimental value which could never be replaced as it had probably been sold for very little.
The Judge said at the hearing that “People who allowed you into their homes and trusted you were callously taken advantage of and this can’t be ignored,” he continued to say that “I appreciate you were stealing to feed your cocaine addiction but it doesn’t detract from the meanness of the offences.”
The nine offences that were committed by Seager, 43, of Lakeside Road, Ipswich, which were committed between March 2018 and May 2019 which Gavin Seager had admitted too had caused irreparable harm.
Prosecuting, Meyrick Williams said the offences were committed at houses in Ipswich, Mildenhall,Felixstowe, Old Newton, Swanton Morley in Norfolk and Kent while Seager was employed by Warner Homes, Glow Green, Greenscape heating engineers and Floheat.
He said one of the victims was a 71-year-old Mildenhall woman who had two rings worth £3,000 stolen at a time when she was looking after her husband after he had suffered a heart attack.
Seager had also stolen £1,000 cash from a woman who lived in Felixstowe and had taken jewellery, including her gold wedding ring, and foreign currency worth £16,500 from a woman who lived in Kent.
Seager £1,700 worth of jewellery from a woman in Ipswich, and had also stolen £800 cash and two rings worth £450 from an 80-year-old Mildenhall woman.
After Seager was arrested he has since sought help for his addiction and he was now drug free.
He was still employed by one of the companies he’d been working for at the time of the offences and was considered to be their best engineer.
Steven Dyble who was acting for Seager said that at the time of the offences his client had a £1,500 a week cocaine habit which he was funding by what ever means necessary.
Mr Dyble accepted there was a degree of meanness to the offences and said Seager had expressed remorse.
