A judge has ordered a special hearing to decide how much a fiddling manager stole from a Newton Abbot charity-run care home that he managed.

Richard Godfrey pilfered petty cash from the Pippin House home in Keyberry Road during six years when he worked there as a manager.

His racket was only uncovered when he went off sick and another member of staff took on the responsibility for buying groceries and other items for the home.

An internal inquiry identified a loss of around £37,000 but Godfrey has pleaded guilty to the fraud on the basis that he only took £10,000.

Judge David Melville, QC, adjourned sentence at Exeter Crown Court until July 13 for a fact-finding procedure called a Newton Hearing.

Godfrey, aged 58, of Brookfield Close, Kingsteignton, admitted fraud at an earlier hearing.

He was manager of the home, which is run by the Action on Hearing Loss charity, between 2010 and 2016 when the money went missing.

Mr James Taghdissian, prosecuting, said attempts to agree a figure of how much was stolen with Godfrey had been unsuccessful, meaning a hearing is necessary so a judge can rule on the issue.

The prosecution case is based on discrepancies in two ledgers used to record petty cash purchases for the care home when Godfrey was in charge.

An inquiry by head office led to a discrepancy of £6,000 being identified in 2015 and suggested a total of £37,311 was missing overall.

Mr Malcolm Salloway, defending, said further discussions may take place before the hearing next month.