A DISGRACED ex-council boss had almost £90,000 seized from his pension fund after he stole from his former employer and disabled people.
Lawyers for Cheshire West and Chester Council recovered £89,000 from former Chester City Council access officer Timothy Valentine Metcalfe, who was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment in 2007.
Metcalfe, who was sacked for gross misconduct, had dipped into a budget used to fund the Frodsham Street-based Chester Shopmobility scheme, which hires scooters to people with disabilities.
He admitted stealing £92,000 from the council and Chester Access Group – including about £3,000 from the National Federation for the Blind.
Councillor Brenda Dowding, executive member, adult social care and health, has pledged the cash will be returned to those it was originally intended to help. She said: “This authority has spent time and money pursuing this case, simply because we felt the cause was just.
“The council is still considering its options with regard to possible beneficiaries but we are determined that the money will go to benefit work for the blind and disabled people in our area.”Š
Chester Crown Court heard Metcalfe used the cash to fund a ‘hedonistic‘ lifestyle including gambling, alcohol, a series of girlfriends in Thailand and following Middlesbrough Football Club.
Metcalfe’s actions resulted in the closure of Chester Access Group after staff went unpaid and it was discovered there was no public liability insurance in place.
Shopmobility, which hires scooters to the disabled, is now run by DIAL House with the aid of a £39,000 grant from Cheshire West and Chester Council.
