Golf professional stole £20,000 from his family

GOLF professional stole £20,000 from his family when his life landed in the rough.

- ROB KENNEDY Court Reporter

Wayne Feeney was caught for stealing savings belonging to his stepfather and aunt in secretly recorded chats, in which he confessed to what he had done, having initially escaped charges after denying any wrongdoing to the police.

Newcastle Crown Court heard 37-year-old Feeney had ended up in debt due to his cocaine use at the time of the offences and his relationship had broken up.

His mother and stepfather were living in a caravan in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, where the stepfather kept his savings in a safe.

When he last checked in May 2023, there was £20,300, plus £4,200 in an envelope for Feeney’s aunt, who required specialist accommodation.

In August that year, the aunt asked Feeney’s mother to check how much money she had saved up, and it was at that point it was revealed that most of the money was missing.

Just £820 was left of the stepfather’s savings and £3,200 of his aunt’s money. Feeney immediately fell under suspicion as he'd had money issues previously.

‘There were no signs of forced entry and Feeney had visited the caravan a number of times.

When confronted by his stepfather, Feeney said he would pay the money back by Christmas. A few days later he paid back £750 and promised to repay the rest. However the stepfather decided to report the matter to the police.