A man who stole cash from a family-run business has appeared in court for breaching his suspended sentence.

Paul Harrow was working in the petrol station at Stokesley Motors when he started deliberately voiding fuel purchases and pocketing the cash himself.

Last year, he was sentenced to an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work and pay £99.36 in compensation and £1,300 in court costs.

He has now appeared back at Teesside Crown Court accused of failing to comply with unpaid work requirements "without reasonable excuse" on February 3, and 24 this year.

Harrow, 27, of Middle Bank Road, Ormesby, Middlesbrough, denied the alleged breaches, and said he has medical evidence to justify his absence.

Judge Deborah Sherwin adjourned the latest hearing until August 17

Last year, Harrow pleaded guilty to both theft charges – one charge of stealing £129.61 of cash, and one charge of stealing an unknown amount between June 24 and September 15, 2016.

Judge Sherwin said the company had lost up to £7,000 during the “sophisticated” theft but the Crown Prosecution Service was only able to prove that he had stolen £129 which happened on the day he was caught in September 2016.