A finance worker who defrauded disability charity the Shaw Trust of more than £34,000 has walked free from court after a judge heard he had repaid the money.

Geoffrey Davis, 49, of Highbridge, Somerset, stole the money between February and November 2012 while working as a credit controller at the trust offices in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Instead of recovering repaid debts, he siphoned money into his own bank accounts.

He pleaded guilty to one count of fraud, and was sentenced last week to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 240 hours unpaid work.

The trust has received a cheque returning the full amount of £34,176.