AN "incompetent" PTA treasurer forged his wife's signature on cheques when about £500 disappeared from the organisation's funds.

Burnley Crown Court heard how prison officer Peter Donohue, 38, whose own finances had been in a mess, lied to police and the headteacher of All Saints High School, Rossendale, saying he had banked the cash.

When later "cornered" by auditors, he said the money had been stolen from a cash box in his car parked outside Walton Jail, where he then worked.

Sentencing the defendant, who denied stealing the cash, a judge slammed him as foolish, said he should have told the truth, but had "lied, lied and lied again." Recorder Alistair Webster QC told Donohue he was clearly not an appropriate person to be a treasurer, given the mess he had made of his own finances.

The missing money could not be attributed to his dishonesty, but could certainly be attributed to his incompetence and the cash should have been banked.

Donohue, then of Springfield Court, Bacup, was ordered to do 150 hours community service and ordered to pay £417 compensation and costs of £414. He admitted two counts of forgery.

David Pickup, prosecuting, said after a school play, £600 was handed to Donohue to bank, but it appeared he never got round to banking it. Donohue told the headteacher over £500 had been deposited, but efforts to try and locate the bank and branch through which it was paid were fruitless.

Auditors were contacted, the defendant again claimed the money had been deposited, but it could not be found and he later on said it was taken from the cash box in his car.

Mr Pickup said when interviewed, Donohue denied stealing the money and said he had put off banking it because his own finances were a mess and he was embarrassed. He admitted he had lied to the headteacher. Donohue said he had got his wife to sign some chequesbut later admitted he had signed them.

Paul Hague, defending, said Donohue blamed his money problems on the riots at Strangeways, when he was sent on roving work, and to his own mismanagement.

He had made a mess of his own finances and then went on to make a mess of somebody else's.

His house had been repossessed, he had had a bank loan and was overdrawn, and he had tried to hide the difficulties from his wife.

He had been suspended from the prison service through his own folly, had now lost his job but was due to receive about £2,000 in back pay.