A FATHER of three found himself before a court after the official receiver failed to believe he had gambled away more than £25,000.

Azim Patel, 30, of London Walk, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Insolvency Act.

He admitted failing to give the official receiver a satisfactory explanation for the loss of £25,296 after he was declared bankrupt.

Patel was bailed for four weeks by Blackpool magistrates for a pre-sentence report with all options, including custody, left open.

Michal Woosnam, prosecuting, said Patel made himself bankrupt and his bankruptcy was pronounced in April 2001. Patel was then required by the official receiver to complete forms about his finances. The defendant attributed the loss of more than £25,000 of his money to having gambled it away over the previous two years.

Investigators for the official receiver made inquiries at the bookmakers and casinos Patel said he had used.

The prosecutor said: "The bookmakers could not identify Patel and the records kept by the casinos did not reveal a Patel at all."

Patel was interviewed again and modified his explanation. He said in addition to gambling at casinos and bookmakers he had played the Stock Market.

Patel then changed his explanation again. He said two male friends had taken him gambling and they used his money to gamble with, but he could not say where the friends lived.

The prosecutor added: "The onus is on the defendant to give a satisfactory explanation as to how his loss occurred. When interviewed the defendant accepted what he said originally to the official receiver was a lie."

Wayne Massey, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had not salted the money away nor used it for illegal purposes.

The defence said: "The mischief to which he has pleaded guilty is that he has not fully accounted for his losses to the official receiver.

"The offence has no requirement for dishonesty or fraud or anything of that nature. He was made bankrupt on his own petition.

"He was interested in the Stock Market at the time and copied friends by investing. The difference was they may have been good at it, he was not.

"He was living above his means and trying to appear as though he was a man having some success on the Stock Market. He is still at a loss to explain where all the money went."

The defence added that Patel now worked in a carpet factory. As a result of the case he had been suffering anxiety attacks and chest pains.