Cornwall sub-postmaster admits £14K thefts
A Cornwall sub-postmaster has been given a 51-week suspended prison sentence after stealing £14,500.
Peter Guest, 52, of Gorran Haven, admitted four charges of stealing money over a six-week period last autumn.
Mr Guest stole the money from the post office till at Carlyon Bay to pay his staff and meet general living expenses, Truro Crown Court heard.
The court heard how Mr Guest had bought the post office in 2007, but it had been affected by the economic downturn.
Judge Christopher Elwen said: "Getting out of a hole of that nature cannot be done by stealing from the Post Office."
Mr Guest's prison sentence was suspended for 18 months.