A BAILIFF who stole thousands of pounds in cash he was supposed to be collecting has been jailed for 10 months.

Roy Chestnut collapsed in the dock at Bolton Crown Court as he was sentenced for fraud.

Neil Nehra, prosecuting, told how 59-year-old Chestnut worked for Excel Enforcement, a company that had been sub-contracted by Horwich-based firm Phoenix Commercial Collections to recover debts in the South of England.

One of Chestnut's accounts was Zahid Abbasi, a garage owner in Middlesex, who owed £57,000 in business rates to Hillingdon Borough Council..

But the court heard Chestnut would pocket the £500-a-week Mr Abbasi gave him, instead of banking it.

In June last year, he was finally caught after Phoenix, concerned about the apparent lack of payments from Mr Abbasi, sent someone else to visit him.

During the visit, Mr Abbasi rang Chestnut, who apologised and admitted he had been stealing the money, which totalled £10,650.

He pleaded guilty to fraud.

Michael Blakey, defending, said Chestnut, a married father -of-two, had fallen into debt and was unable to pay the mortgage on his home in Lincoln Road, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, after being given a less lucrative area to work in.

"As a consequence of that he gave into temptation," said Mr Blakey.

"He is, to say the least, extremely upset about doing this."

He added that Chestnut is now selling his house to repay the money he stole and hopes to resume a career as an HGV driver in order to provide for his family.

"Although he has done wrong and committed a criminal offence, he has done all he can to rectify the situation," he added.

Chestnut appeared shocked and collapsed into a chair as Recorder Stuart Driver QC told him that what he had done was so serious that he must be jailed immediately.