Former Chatteris Conservative Club steward Tony Dooley is today (Thursday) behind bars after being jailed for two years for pilfering club takings - £32,000 to be precise.

Dooley, 56, of Irchester, Northants, admitted what he had done when he appeared at Peterborough Crown Court in June and was warned to expect a custodial sentence.

That warning became a reality with Dooley being imprisoned for two years for the thefts by a judge today.

Dooley, and his wife Lynn ran the club jointly for four and a half years, but just before Christmas in 2012 they were suspended from duty.

The pair were paid a joint salary of £25,000 a year excluding rent free accommodation and no utility charges.

But Dooley hid a secret he was systematically dipping his hand in the till for the time he was steward. By accurately recording daily takings, but falsifying banking returns, he stole £32,023.

His 57-year-old wife pleaded not guilty when she appeared alongside Dooley in June and the Crown Prosecution Service accepted her plea with no further action to be taken.

Previously club vice chairman Geoffrey Brinton said that “facts and figures were looked at, no satisfactory explanation could be provided and so the Dooleys were suspended”.

Police were called and so began a lengthy investigation during which old till rolls were scrupulously checked for anomalies as a case built against Dooley.