A MAN spent £27,000 of West Yorkshire Police money after it was wrongly paid into his bank account, a court heard.

Arfan Younis, 29, had already been paid £800 by the force after his door was put through by mistake during a search warrant.

But Bradford Crown Court was told today that West Yorkshire Police put £5,500 into his account in March last year, and £21,500 in July - neither of the payments were meant for him.

Younis withdrew the money within days and claimed to have spent it at the casino, the court heard.

Describing it as a "cock up," the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC, said he was approaching sentencing in the way he was because "the whole thing is a mess."

Judge Thomas said it was "a bit of an embarrassing episode for the police authority."

Sentencing Younis, of Leeds Old Road, Bradford, to a community order, with 120 hours unpaid work, he told him: "You must have thought last year, when these very substantial sums of money came into your bank account by mistake, that all your Christmases had come early."

Judge Thomas added: "You must have realised this wasn't money to which you were entitled. The fact you withdrew it all within a few days of it coming in proves that point."

The court heard there had been a wrongly executed warrant in October 2012 and solicitors negotiated for police to pay a modest amount to Younis and his family. He provided his bank account details so the payment could be made.

On March 3, police paid £5,500 into Younis's account. The next day he withdrew £5,000, and a further £200 the following day.

On July 7, a payment of £21,500 was made into his account. All but £3,000 had been withdrawn within ten days.

The offences came to light when solicitors chased the sum which had not been paid to them. Police tried to make an arrangement for the defendant to pay the money back, but he said he was not able to.

Solicitor advocate Assumpta O'Rourke, representing Younis, who pleaded guilty to two charges of theft, and had no previous convictions, said her client maintained he had spent the money at casinos.

Prosecutor Paul Nicholson said he had instructions from police to accept a nominal £1 from Younis under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

But Judge Thomas ordered that a confiscation timetable be set. He said: "The idea that he gets £27,000 and it's all gone within a few days is quite frankly not credible."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Inquiries into this matter are continuing to see what, if any, money can be recovered."

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