THE husband of a village postmistress admitted falsifying post office accounts to cover up a £15,000 shortfall in cash when he appeared before magistrates yesterday.

For ten months, Richard Ormerod entered incorrect figures on the weekly cash accounts he kept for Summerhouse sub-post office, near Darlington.

The 59-year-old, whose wife, Angela, ran the sub post-office from their home at Grove Cottage, Summerhouse, which has since been closed, said he had kept the books at the branch for 24 years.

In May 2002, he had noticed the amount of cash on the premises did not balance with the records but failed to notify Royal Mail and instead entered higher amounts on the weekly accounts until March last year.

He told the court that both he and his wife had difficulties using the new Horizon computer accounting system, introduced two years ago, and believed the discrepancy was because of a mistake by his wife or a technical error.

When Post Office auditors carried out a routine inspection of the branch they discovered £15,550 was missing. The money has still not been located.

Ormerod, an engine builder at Cummins Engines, said: "I thought the money would turn up. I have said all along and will say until the day I died, you have to believe me, I never touched a penny of post office money."

Ken Wiper, defending, said Mr Ormerod was respected and held in high regard at Cockerton Band and Musical Institute, Darlington, where he has been treasurer for four years. He had also been a collector for Littlewoods pools for 19 years.

The court heard that a year ago a spare set of safe keys, which had been hidden in a bedroom, went missing and the couple believed they would be found. All visitors had to pass the safe to reach the family's living room.

Ormerod admitted three counts of dishonestly falsifying documents by making false entries about the amount of money on hand, at Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court yesterday.

A further 41 offences were taken into consideration.

He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 costs.

The court heard he had already agreed to remortgage his house to pay the missing money to Royal Mail.