A man who stole more than £65,000 from his employers over an 18 month period has had his sentencing hearing adjourned so his mum can pay back the amount he owes using her pension fund.

At Preston Crown Court on Wednesday, defending barrister Paul Hodgkinson asked Judge Simon Newell to defer Aaron Chadfield's sentencing in order to allow the 35-year-old's mother to begin paying back his employer the money he stole.

Mr Hodgkinson said his client wanted the cash - which Chadfield fraudulently took from Barnoldswick-based cooker and stove makers, ESSE, between April 2018 and October 2019 - to be paid back prior to any sentence hearing in order to enhance his mitigation and diffuse any suggestion that he could be making a 'false promise'.

Chadfield, of Ghyll Meadows, Barnoldswick, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position at an earlier hearing in July.

Mr Hodgkinson said: "The defendant's mother attended when he was first interviewed and during the course of the interview spoke to the police officer and said she would pay the full amount of the money back.

"His suggested mitigation is that he will pay it back and he wants to do this before he is sentenced."

Chadfield's mother told the court she would be able to pay the money back once she draws some of it from her pension at the end of the month.

Judge Newell agreed to defer the sentencing but said any repayment of the money would not 'buy Chadfield out of prison'.

He said: "This can't buy your way out of prison, but if money is paid back it will amount to considerable mitigation and may affect the length of the custodial sentence and the type of sentence, but, there are no promises whatsoever."

Chadfield is due to be sentenced by Judge Newell on Friday November 13.