IT was cash handed over by generous residents to help a Hampshire charity that cares for dying cancer sufferers.

But William McIlroy decided to keep £1,200 he collected in lottery sales for the Countess Mountbatten Hospice in West End.

The 58-year-old had worked for the charity for nearly ten years as a canvasser, but by July last year had received a verbal and formal warning over his behaviour.

He resigned, but carried on selling tickets to some of the city residents he had built up a relationship with over the years, but failed to pass on any cash to the charity.

A year later, the hospice is still waiting to receive its money, while the kind-hearted donors were left with no chance of winning any prize.

Countess Mountbatten provides palliative care for more than 3,000 cancer patients from Southampton and southern Hampshire every year, helping provide support to sufferers and their families and carers.

As well as a 25-bed in-patient unit, it has a day care centre and a community team of doctors and nurses at its base in Botley Road, as well as a second care team at Southampton General Hospital.

Southampton Crown Court heard McIlroy, of Merry Oak Road, Southampton, was one of the charity’s best lottery ticket sellers, regularly bringing in £150,000 a year towards its fundraising efforts.

The charity uses self-employed canvassers who work on commission, going door to door to sell tickets.

The court was told he had been highly regarded for his work, but after a change of management and working practices, he felt his “face no longer fitted”.

After receiving the formal warning he resigned.

McIlroy returned stubs for 175 tickets he had sold, but failed to pass on any cash, despite attempts by the charity to chase him for it.

But he also continued to sell more tickets to his regular customers, including to an 88-year-old woman, telling them the amounts they were buying would see them through to the end of the year, even though they were actually only for summer draws.

McIlroy insisted he kept the cash because he believed he was owed money for previous sales.

After admitting three counts of fraud, McIlroy, who has previous convictions for theft and dishonesty, was given a 30-week jail sentence.

Judge Derwin Hope said: “This was serious dishonesty on your part, aggravated by being carried out after specific warnings about your behaviour.”

The judge suspended the prison term for 18 months, but ordered McIlroy repay the full £1,204 the charity calculated it was out of pocket, plus £300 in court costs.

He must also complete 200 hours of community service.