A FRAUDULENT funeral director was on the run from the law last night after he failed to turn up at court.

Christopher Westcott, who uses a variety of aliases, was to have been sentenced yesterday for the theft of clients' payments and fraudulently obtaining money from banks.

But following several previous adjournments of the case, Westcott did not appear for sentence and a proceeds of crime confiscation hearing at Durham Crown Court.

The court was told that he is now the subject of police inquiries into other alleged offences that have emerged since previous hearings.

Westcott, 51, previously dubbed a conman and fraudster by a judge, admitted five counts of theft totalling £6,330 at an earlier hearing at the court.

The money taken was funeral plan instalments from customers of Cathedral Funeral Services, a company run by Westcott until it ceased trading in 2003.

He also admitted three charges of obtaining by deception sums totalling £5,870, from banks, in October and November 2003.

On his last appearance, in January, the court heard that a psychiatric report requested prior to sentence had not been prepared on Westcott, who was also to undergo surgery on a neck vertebrae at Newcastle General Hospital last month.

The case was adjourned until yesterday, to allow the report to be completed and to allow Westcott to recover from surgery.

He was bailed to live at an address in Smith Close, Sherburn Village, near Durham City, when not in hospital.

But when he failed to appear at court yesterday, his barrister, Brian Russell, said he had no explanation for his absence.

He also said Westcott has failed to fulfil his obligations to provide details of his financial standing as part of the proceeds of crime proceedings.

Prosecuting barrister James Adkin told the court: "I'm told, this morning, that there are further inquiries taking place into his activities. Another offence is being investigated."

Judge Richard Lowden said he was left with no alternative but to issue a warrant for Westcott's arrest.

The extent of Westcott's crimes was outlined when he appeared at Durham Crown Court in November.

On that occasion, the court heard he took payments of thousands of pounds from families - money intended for the funerals of their ailing relatives.

He had also tricked banks in an attempt to prevent Cathedral Funeral Services going bust.

The court heard that Westcott had served a prison term for theft and obtaining money by deception.

He also narrowly escaped a prison sentence after a conviction in 2003 for defrauding a former partner in the funeral business.

The court was told that Westcott's health and psychiatric problems could be attributed to his multiple sclerosis.