A man has been handed a suspended jail sentence for stealing £3,000 from a former Merton Councillor.
Kevin Haran, 53, of Melford Road in Thornton Health, was found guilty of fraudulently cashing cheques belonging to Sue Assinen in what the court called a "severe breach of trust".
Ms Assinen, 62, served as a councillor for Abbey Ward at Merton Council for more than a decade and died in September last year from liver disease following a long running battle with alcoholism.
The thefts occurred just months before her death between March 9 and May 3, 2012.
Following a trial, Haran was found guilty on one count of theft and was sentenced at Wimbledon Magistrates on Friday, January 4, to eight weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months.
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