I can help but feel that the younger generation seem to have an inherent sense of entitlement to do, act and take whatever they want and when they get caught feel a half assed apology completely redeems them from the financial loses to others of their actions.
Spot on.
But sorry to say, PB, you're part of the problem in reinforcing that attitude/belief. Who do you expect to deal with him how you wou;d have expeted to be dealt with? I wonder how long he has been doing it and when/if he will do it again? Odds on from his attitude and lack of consequence he willdo it again.
This is not a simple case of petty theft. When a scrote steals from someone who has helped them it's a different psychology altogether.