Jail for Mansfield Woodhouse man who blew £60,000 of his grandfather's life savings on mobile games

Jamie Cross, aged 37, fraudulently transferred £60,300 over the space of a year and spent it on hundreds of in-game purchases, also called microtransactions.

Cross, of Hazel Grove, Mansfield Woodhouse, spent nearly all his grandfather’s savings after becoming addicted to playing games on his phone during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He accessed his grandfather’s money after setting up a banking app on his behalf to help him make online purchases during lockdown.

However, Cross used the app to transfer huge sums into his own account to fund his spiralling addiction.

Nottingham Crown Court heard he carried out the fraudulent transactions between December 3, 2020 and December 10, 2021.

Cross was found out when his grandfather noticed his accounts were severely depleted.

When interviewed by detectives, Cross admitted his offending, explaining that he started by spending £100 on the odd occasion but this soon grew to over £1,000 a day as his addition became worse.

He also told officers he took up gaming as it was a release for him following a relationship break-up.

He was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation.

Afterwards, Detective Constable Chris Underwood, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Fraud Investigation unit, urged people to heed the warning signs of gaming addiction so that they do not fall into crime.

Information and NHS advice on how to seek treatment for gaming addiction can be found at cnwl.nhs.uk

DC Underwood said: “This is a very sad case.

"Cross helped himself to his grandfather’s hard-earned savings and, by his own admittance, frivolously spent these savings on games within a matter of months.

“It was a serious breach of trust and Cross is rightly now facing the consequences of his actions.

“During his police interview, Cross stated that he thought he had spent around £40,000 on mobile games.

"When it was put to him that the figure was in fact more than £60,000, he was visibly shocked.

“This is yet another example of how the cycle of addiction can lead to individuals resorting to illicit means to fund their habit.

"That’s why it is important anyone who feels they may have a gaming addiction – or any other kind of addiction – seeks help.”