A policeman kept money raised for cancer for more than a year before handing it over to charity.

And a court also heard how PC Pat Lane allegedly went on exotic holidays while he still owed money to the charity.

By the time some of the money was repaid, at least eight cheques handed over to Lane from a sponsored head shave at Clacton police station were out of date.

Lane, 35, also used £50 raised through the event to pay for a train fare although Chelmsford Crown Court heard he paid it back later.

The head shave at Clacton police station in January 1998 had raised £930 plus a number of cheques, the court heard on Monday.

Lane had agreed to organise the event for young mother Clare Archer, who had developed cancer and was raising money for the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

But the jury heard it was not until 15 months later that Mrs Archer received any money.

Lane, of Witton Wood Lane, Frinton, denies a charge of theft between January 1998 and March last year.

Julian Christopher, prosecuting, said a large presentation cheque was handed over to Mrs Archer for £1,752.57 from the shave and Lane told her the final amount from the event which involved Lane and 13 others was in the region of £2,000.

The large cheque was for publicity purposes and no money was handed over by Lane at that time, Mr Christopher said.

Some 15 months later and after numerous requests from Mrs Archer, Lane handed over eight cheques totalling £232, which could not be cashed as they were out of date.

Lane handed over another cheque for £895 telling Mrs Archer not to bank it until his salary cheque went into his account, Mr Christopher said.

He eventually handed over a total of £1,127 in March last year.

Mrs Archer, of Carrs Road, Clacton, was too ill with ovarian cancer to attend court but in a statement read out by Mr Christopher, she said she had contacted Lane a number of times over the outstanding money.

Her statement said he claimed he had problems collecting the money and said he had been in a de-tox clinic following drink problems.

Lane also told her he had been on holidays to Puerto Rico, Grand Canaria and was planning to go to Cuba with his girlfriend, she added.

Matters came to a head last year when a complaint was made to a chief inspector at Clacton police station and Lane was arrested, Mr Christopher said.

When questioned, Lane said the money had stayed in his locker since the head shave.

The trial continues

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.