A man admitted handling a stolen NatWest bank card and fraudulently using a card belonging to another.

Kristian Maroney, 26, had been due to stand trial at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday accused of burglary.

But the trial failed to get off the ground, with Oxford man Maroney pleading guilty to charges of handling stolen goods and fraud by false representation. He admitted using a bank card that wasn’t his and handling a stolen NatWest card on August 26 last year.

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Defending, Christopher Pembridge asked the judge to sentence his client there and then, saying Moroney had already spent eight months on remand – the equivalent of a 16-month prison sentence.

But, after hearing that a drug rehabilitation requirement might assist the defendant, Judge Michael Gledhill QC adjourned sentencing for a month to give the probation service the chance to compile a pre-sentence report.

He said: “I appreciate you have been in custody for eight months or so but you apparently have a drug problem. It is the drugs that lead you to commit criminal offences.

“Your own barrister says you would benefit from drug rehabilitation and I am therefore going to give you the opportunity [to be assessed by probation] in the hope perhaps you get off drugs and in the hope thereby the public are best protected.”

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Maroney, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody to be sentenced on July 26. On that date he will also be sentenced for another offence of handling stolen goods.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward