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A funeral director who stole thousands of pounds in charity donations has been ordered by the Exeter Crown Court to pay the money back.
Robert Loveridge, 62, took the money that was given in memory of deceased loved ones at 26 funerals over a nine year period. He used the cash to pay pallbearers fund his company, Harris and Loveridge Funeral Directors.
His illegal activities were discovered when a woman called up two charities to ask about donations, after she was concerned that it had not been handed over.
Loveridge was sentenced to eight months in prison in October last year after he plead guilty to theft between 1 July 2007 and 31 December 2016.
He returned to Exeter Crown Court on Monday 29 January and was ordered to repay £4,842 to 10 of the 12 charities within 28 days, or face a further six months in prison.
The charities which will be repaid money are Rowcroft Hospice, the Children’s Hospice South West, the Macular Society, the British Heart Foundation, the Stroke Association, Dementia Society, Devon Air Ambulance, Teignmouth Coastwatch, the Teignmouth League of Friends, and the RNLI.
Robert Loveridge insisted that he had always intended to pay the money back.
