A CLUB steward has been convicted of falsifying accounts to cover up a £1,000 deficit.

John Orange was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of £350 and prosecution costs of £6,500. The 45-year-old, of Heather Grove, Leigh, had denied false accounting.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the discrepancy came to light after the accounts of the St Paul's Labour Club were sent to their accountant and as a result Orange was arrested.

Miss Rachel White, prosecuting, said Orange's duties involved responsibility for looking after the club's takings, paying them into the bank and keeping the accounts.

In October 2003 he filled out an income and expenditure sheet which understated the accounts by £1,000. When Orange was quizzed by police about the discrepancy he accepted he was responsible for looking after the takings and had created the sheet.

He also agreed that he had banked £1,397 and said that there had clearly been a mistake in his calculations but said it was a simple mistake.

He denied that he had been dishonest but did not offer any other explanation as to where the £1,000 had gone.

Miss White said that the Crown claim that the takings had been more than £2,000, but £1,000 of it had not been accounted for. "He said it was a set up and there was a second key to the safe and anyone might have had access to it."