A FRAUDSTER who fleeced family members out of more than £18,000 to feed his addictions has escaped a prison sentence after a court was told he has got his life back on track.

Teesside Crown Court heard how 29-year-old Phillip Waller, from Hartlepool, used his father’s PIN to take out the cash between January 2010 and December 2015.

He also stole from another relative's account, said prosecutor Jenny Haigh, who told Judge Sean Morris: “It was down to drugs, alcopops and gambling.

The court heard how his father is "very supportive" and Waller has sought help from the Moses Project, which aids men with addictions to drugs and alcohol.

Waller, of previous good character, admitted two charges of fraud by false representation at a hearing in July, but the judge deferred sentencing.

He had been told that he would not be locked up if he kept out of trouble for six months and stuck with the project.

Judge Morris said: “It would appear it’s all gone very well.”

And he added: “You have been for some time now the subject of the Moses Project, with which I’m familiar.

“It’s not an easy project to complete, but you’ve done very well with it. They speak highly of you.

“Bridges are being built and it seems to me that this is a one-off in your life, I hope, and you can put it behind you.”

He gave Waller, of Whitby Street, Hartlepool , a one-year prison sentence, and suspended it for 18 months.

He added: “Having looked at these documents I’m confident, provided you lay off the drugs, this is all in the past.

"If there is any breach, I will reserve it to myself, and I will come down on you like a ton of bricks."