A crooked undertaker has been jailed for stealing £5,000 donations given to charities by mourners during funerals he conducted.

Robert Loveridge pocketed cash which was given in memory of beloved family members or friends by the congregations at 26 different funerals.

He failed to pass on the money and left cheques in a filing cabinet instead of passing them on to the good causes it was intended for.

Loveridge, aged 62, was the sole operator of his Harris and Loveridge Funeral Directors in Teignmouth and used some of the charity cash to pay off pall bearers whom he employed by the day.

He was running at least one funeral a week and police estimated that his income from the business was £45,000 to £90,000. He was a pillar of the community and a member of Teignmouth Rugby Club and the local amateur dramatic club.

He started his fiddle in 2007 and carried on stealing money until a bereaved daughter called two charities to check they had received donations from her mother and father’s funerals.

When they told her they had received no money or cheques, she called in the police and Loveridge admitted taking the cash. He had counted all the donations before he stole them, so detectives were able to work out how much he took.

The thefts took place over eight years and deprived 12 different charities of more than £5,000, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Loveridge, aged 62, of Second Avenue, Teignmouth, admitted theft and asked for seven cases to be considered.

He was jailed for eight months by Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC, who told him: ‘It was staggering dishonesty to steal money as you did from those who had given it to charity at a time of mourning.

‘As I see it, it was very low behaviour and a gross breach of trust. Those who donated money, who were often relatives of the deceased, say they were thoroughly let down. That may be a considerable understatement.

‘The fact is that you have caused distress to a large number of people. It this had just continued for a short time an immediate sentence might have been avoided, but this was done over years.

‘It was very dishonest and a huge deception of the people who trusted you.’

Mr Gordon Richings, prosecuting, said Loveridge started the business in Willow Street, Teignmouth, in 1982 with partner Les Harris but had been running it on his own since his death in 2002.

He was the only employee and did not have a bookkeeper. He hired in hearses and pall bearers on a funeral-by-funeral basis. His income was between £45,000 and £90,000.

Mr Richings said Loveridge was entrusted with counting and collating cash and cheques given to charity at retiring collections a funerals.

He said: ‘He was trusted to pass on the contributions to charities. He retained which had been given for charity by mourners. He appears to have pocketed the cash and used it for running the business, possibly paying pall bearers or temporary staff.’

He said police found cheques in the files at his office which had not been passed on to charities or paid in. The total amount of cash is at least £5,000 and may be £5,500.

The charities which lost money are Rowcroft Hospice, the Children’s Hospice South West, the Macular Society, the Alzheimer’s Society, the British Heart Foundation, the Stroke Association, Dementia Society, the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, Devon Air Ambulance, Teignmouth Coastwatch, the Teignmouth League of Friends, and the RNLI.

Mr Peter Seigne, defending, said Loveridge passed on cash from many more funerals to charity and only stole when his business was under financial pressure.

He always intended to repay the money but was never able to do so. He still plans to repay all the money.

He said: ‘He made a terrible mistake and understands completely the distress he caused to families. He has lost his good character, his business is up for sale, he feels he has to move away from Teignmouth. He has already lost everything. It is not necessary for him to lose his liberty.