Alcoholic tried to steal nearly £350,000 from his employersBenjamin Ferrar, who drank 300 units a week, stole £11,000 from a luxury hotel in CornwallView Image Aerial view of the Carlyon Bay hotel in St Austell (Image: DCM)A serial thief who was warned he would die if he did not stop drinking has been spared a jail sentence for trying to steal nearly £350,000 from his employers. ‌Benjamin Ferrar, of Nightingale Close, Plymouth, received a suspended two-year prison sentence and was placed on an alcohol treatment programme by a judge at Cardiff Crown Court. ‌The court heard Ferrar had been an alcoholic since leaving university and was currently drinking 300 units per week – the equivalent of four bottles of wine a day. ‌Most of the transactions were declined by banks, and he only managed to steal £13,889 from the firm, the court was told. Imposing a two-year suspended prison sentence, Recorder Mark Powell KC said: "Frankly, the facts almost defy belief.

Source: Daily Mirror February 20, 2026 21:54 UTC