A TEMPORARY manager, who stole thousands of pounds from a New Forest sub-post office, has not paid a penny in compensation – more than two and a half years after he had been told to do so.

William Giles, 62, was jailed for 27 months in 2008 for stealing £165,000 over a 16-month period from the shop in Sway after taking over when the previous subpostmaster was suspended.

He was arrested after a stock check in December, 2007, revealed substantial deficiencies and he subsequently admitted to investigators he had been taking about £2,000 a week.

Giles returned to Southampton Crown Court in October, 2010, for a confiscation hearing when he was ordered to re-pay the Post Office £50,000 but yesterday Judge Derwin Hope heard he had not made any payment.

The disclosure came when Giles asked the court to vary the order so he did not have to pay any cash, which was resisted by prosecutor Warwick Tatford.

“The interest is now £6,000 and is going up,” he said.”The Post Office have sought to be reasonable about this but there has been a lack of cooperation in terms of money from the defendant.”

Giles, of Church Road, Warsash, said he had tried to borrow money from his wife’s parents but it had not materialised.

He accepted there had been stupidity on his part, to which the judge remarked: “Your stupidity might take you back to prison.”

Giles replied: “That’s fine.”

The remark stunned the judge who asked: “Do you mean that?”

Then he added: “You must take full responsibility for the order.

At the moment, there is £50,000 plus interest, and you have not paid anything. The Post Office say they have not seen papers declaring your assets. In your letter which I have seen, you say your debts exceed £96,000.”

The judge then gave Giles two weeks to produce details of his assets to the court and Post Office before adjourning the case until September 23.