Mark Pack

Bill Thomas, Labour leader of Sandwell Council until his arrest in October, has admitted stealing £1,300 from Nat West bank in a cheque fraud:

The court heard how a close friend, Gareth Hall, had cashed three of Thomas’s cheques totalling £1,300 – which was then reimbursed by the bank after Thomas claimed he did not know Hall.

As a result,

Bill Thomas has been ordered to repay £1,300 and given a 12-month conditional discharge after pleading guilty to theft. (Local Government Chronicle)