13 year old son stealing mum's bank cards for gaming... punishments??

[notacloudinthesky]

I have just discovered by checking my bank/savings account that my 13 year old DS has spent £300 in the last 10 days by opening an Apple account and Itunes account and a new email account in his name and added my debit card for the sole intention of purchasing games for his ipad etc.
He has admitted it and in true teen style his answer to "why?" is "I dunno..".
Sadly this is not the first time and he was punished last time, had his electronics removed and ordered to pay off the debt by handing over birthday and Xmas money etc. Currently he doesn't get pocket money. Electronics were handed back when we thought he had learned his lesson...
I'm sure there are "legitimate" reasons in his head why he has done this.... I'm divorced/new partner/new baby etc and so has his father, but we love the children very much and they are well cared for etc with good schools, home and holidays etc etc.... He has always needed a lot of attention but he has other siblings and he's not a baby anymore. This is serious.
DS is an A team rugby player but I have noticed in the last year or so that his enthusiasm has dropped off (perhaps not that unusual) and his grades at school have slipped badly - his end of term exams truly awful.
New partner is fed up with DS not listening to instructions at home, his often slovenly approach and it's causing huge problems.....
Apart from the obvious paying back by chores (he has to unload the dishwashers everyday.... we are a big family) and keep his room tidy which is a joke.... change his bed and pop to the shops for provisions etc and having his electronics removed, I'm after some constructive ideas to get through to him that this is serious. It breaks my heart to do it, but I would take him to the police this time and let them make him see this is a criminal offence.......
I would welcome any constructive help. I'm feeling rather low.
Fed up of being called a chocolate fireguard - need some help to instil relevant discipline please.

Or it could be that he just doesn't care about the sanctions that you have for him?
He has no money, no way of earning money and is not doing well at school any longer, so it might have seemed like a good idea.
As you said, he is used to living in an affluent household and having holidays, electronics and whatnot so maybe he just didn't think that it was a big deal and that you wouldn't miss the money.
Did he pay back the entire amount last time? Was it a similar sort of theft? How old was he then?

My experience with a teenaged Aspie is that he wouldn't deny having done it, would have had a logical rationalisation for his actions, however strange it seemed to an observer and would have seen it as justified.
Along the lines of 'I have no money of my own because you took it all and I wanted the music. I'll pay you back when I get a job'

'His lack of understanding of the seriousness of what he did.'

A lot of over-indulged children can react in the same way though.
'What's the problem?'