A MAN went on a rampage in a gambling shop after he lost money on betting machines.

Andrew Law, aged 48, damaged five terminals and a television in Ladbrokes.

Law blamed his alcohol and gambling issues for the smashing spree, which cost the shop £4,662.25.

He said he was remorseful for his crime and waited for the police to arrive outside the building, following the incident on Tuesday, September 5.

Law, defending himself, said: “I’m sorry for what I have done. I was at rock bottom, it was a call for help.

“It got out of hand. I’ve got myself in a right state. Until I stop gambling and drinking my wife is not having me back.

“That [excessive drinking] has been going on for years. It started getting heavy when my son went to Afghanistan in 2010.

“I’ve lost thousands of pounds. Everything has been maxed out. I’m in thousands of debt.

“I know Ladbrokes is a multi-million pound firm and £4,662.25 is not a lot of money for them but it is for me.

“I’m getting help. I’m financially getting myself on the straight and narrow.”

Law said that despite his struggles with alcohol and gambling he has avoided drinking since the incident and recently received his three month sobriety badge from Alcoholics Anonymous.

He entered the Ladbrokes shop, in St Martin’s Quarter, Worcester, at roughly 6.30pm and the smashing spree happened shortly after 9.10pm.

Kerry Lovegrove, prosecuting, said: “He engaged in betting. He lost his money and became angry and smashed machines.

“He also smashed a television. He threw chairs around. Two terminals were damaged - and three fixed odd betting terminals. The cost to repair was £4,662.25.

“He said he immediately knew he had done wrong and stood outside waiting for the police.”

Law, of Staplefield Drive, Brighton, was in Worcester as part of his work, which sees him travel around the country.

The defendant said he had been receiving texts from Ladbrokes offering him free bets on their machines.

He said he would accept the punishment given to him by the magistrates and was last before the courts in 2003 for an unrelated matter.

Keith Stokes-Smith, chairman of the magistrates bench, said it was a ‘very expensive mistake’.

Law pleaded guilty and received a 12 week sentence - suspended for 24 months - and was ordered to pay £662.25 in compensation and a £115 victim surcharge at Worcester Magistrates Court yesterday (November 16).