An Alconbury man who stole more than £21,000 from a Sea Cadet group has been told he must pay back just £50.

John Mohammed, of Field Close, was jailed for two years in March after he admitted fraud totalling £21,868.

But at a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (June 19) he was ordered to repay the nominal fee.

At an earlier hearing, the court heard how 62-year-old Mohammed had taken the money from the North District Marine Society and Sea Cadets in London, for which he was a volunteer treasurer, between 2010 and October last year.

He said he used the money to buy a car, help his son’s business and to pay off debts, having suffered financial problems after both he and his wife retired.

When sentencing, Recorder Gregory Perrins acknowledged a number of letters telling of the high respect and regard Mohammed had been held in, but said he had shown a “dishonest streak”.

The cadets affected by his fraud had been from some of the poorest areas of London, he added.