A Bradford man claims he was made bankrupt and lost his home and his marriage after going into business with Conservative Club conman Steven Durn, who was jailed for nine months yesterday.

Durn, 43, was sentenced for stealing more than £24,000 in 16 months from Wibsey Conservative Club while he was treasurer.

As reported in later editions of yesterday's Telegraph & Argus, Bradford Crown Court heard that Durn used the club's cheque books to pay off his own debts when his business collapsed and he went bankrupt.

Durn, of Ascot Drive, Horton Bank Top, was appointed secretary of the club in February 2001, when it was in profit, and was made treasurer three months later.

Prosecutor Jayne Beckett said Durn then prepared a set of false accounts to hide his thefts. The club claimed that as a result it had found itself with debts of around £78,000.

Club chairman Ron Warren said: "We all feel he has got away very lightly. We will take legal advice on whether to pursue compensation through the civil courts.

"We were in danger of losing the club. We found it had been placed in receivership.

"We accepted a loan from the brewery of £71,000 to clear off the debts but it will take 12 years to pay it off, by which time some of us may not be around."

After the case, Durn's former business partner, surveyor Billy Welch, 45, told how he had been left with debts after his failed business venture with the conman.

Mr Welch raised £8,000 to put into the partnership, which carried out surveys for utility companies. But after 18 months he realised there were problems.

"I told him I was dissolving the partnership, then I was made bankrupt."

Mr Welch said Durn got as much money as possible and then spent it.

"He wants everybody to see he is affluent. It doesn't matter where the money comes from to fund his lifestyle. He has no scruples.

"I didn't know a lot of the bills weren't getting paid. I went bankrupt. My marriage wasn't very stable and the first Christmas after that I split up with my wife and moved out.

"I was so skint I couldn't even get the kids anything for Christmas."

Durn, who pleaded guilty to nine charges of theft and one of false accounting with 19 other offences considered, used club cheques to pay a debt, the rent on his girlfriend's cottage and rent on a barn he shared with his partner, council tax, child maintenance, electrical goods and personal living expenses.

He also stole £500 in cash and told police he had taken another £400 from bingo, dominoes, quiz sessions and fruit machines at the club. Durn was summoned to a meeting after club officials became concerned about the accounts. He wrote a letter of confession.

Giles Bridge, defending, said: "Mr Durn did not set out to defraud the club. When he took over the role of treasurer he succumbed to the easy temptation to remove money to deal with the financial problems he faced."

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Stephen Gullick, did not make an order for compensation because Durn was still an undischarged bankrupt.