THE manager of a Weymouth surgery has been jailed for fraudulently pocketing thousands of pounds while he was working there.

Charles Edward Flack, 46, of Wheatlands, Portland, was found guilty of three counts of false accounting and one count of theft and sentenced to sixth months in prison.

The judge, Recorder Jane Miller QC, told him she had to impose a custodial sentence given the seriousness of the offences, which were committed when Flack managed the Lanehouse Surgery in Ludlow Road.

Recorder Miller said: "The quality and depth of trust placed in you was considerable - and the impact of the money you took directly affected the doctors themselves."

But she added that she had been persuaded by Flack's lawyer, Frank Abbott, that the sentence should be as short as possible because of Flack's health, money and family problems.

Flack had denied the accusations that he regularly fiddled the books at the surgery from September 1994 to October 1998. He was in charge of the day-to-day running of the practise while the two doctors, Dr Kenneth Houston and Dr Sally Hodder, saw their patients.

He was responsible for paying staff, including himself, and had claimed for overtime he hadn't done as well as stealing from the petty cash. The figure he is estimated to have made from the surgery is £2,850. A jury cleared had cleared him of four other counts of theft and four of false accounting.

Frank Abbott, for Flack, said his client had been affected very badly by the fact the case had taken nearly two years to come to court.

"It's a long period of time in itself, but when you look at Mr Flack's medical condition and family situation, it makes it an exceptional case. He is suffering from depression and has developed asthma from the fear of what might happen to him. He is waiting for a hernia operation and has a history of ulcers."

Mr Abbott said Flack was severely in debt and was also having problems with his two children because of the pressures of waiting for his trial. He added that Flack had been unable to get a job for the period between being charged and being tried because of the dishonesty charges hanging above his head.