AN accountant was jailed for a year yesterday.

Roy Humbey was convicted of six counts of obtaining money by deception and six of false accounting when he appeared at Durham Crown Court in March. Yesterday he appeared for sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court.

Humbey, of Hawthorn Close, Langley Park, County Durham, had been released on licence after being jailed for taking £78,000 from a Teesside firm.

In March 2000, a month after his release, he was hired to keep the accounts for the Consett Christmas Company, in County Durham, from which he took almost £3,000.

He was caught when the company's owner, Tom Baker, checked the accounts in September 2000, after his pay cheque was late.

Mr Baker noticed several discrepancies and called the police.

PC Paul Black said: "Humbey had changed his tax and National Insurance codes and was paying himself the salary of a member of staff who had left on maternity leave.

"If the owner had not spotted it, then I have no doubt this would have carried on."

Judge Tim Hewitt said yesterday that Humbey had failed to inform his employer of his previous conviction.

He sentenced Humbey to six months imprisonment for the offences.

Judge Hewitt also ordered him to serve six months of his previous sentence, to run consecutively.