A salesman who was twice turned down for promotion defrauded his employers of more than £15,000, a judge heard.

Bathroom equipment seller Colin Proctor, 33, was sentenced to 100 hours' community service after admitting charges of false accounting and making illegal money transfers.

A judge at Reading Crown Court heard how Proctor transferred proceeds from credit card sales to his own credit card account over a period of 16 months, while he worked for Tile and Bath World who have branches at Abingdon and Newbury.

Cairns Nelson, prosecuting, said the fraud was discovered when the company's financial controller spotted inconsistencies in his sales account in July and alerted the police. Proctor was arrested and in September he pleaded guilty at Newbury Magistrates' Court to six charges of false accounting and five of making illegal money transfers.

A further 56 similar offences were taken into account.

Mr Nelson explained: "The defendant worked out that if he suppressed evidence of sales by destroying the sales voucher and the invoice he could keep it from the company's accounts dep- artment."

James Scobie, defending, said that Proctor, of Lawrence Close, Childrey, near Wantage, had made no excuses for what he had done, adding: "He is a decent chap and not a danger to anyone."

He explained: "The reason why the defendant committed these frauds is unclear.

"He was a sales assistant earning just under £15,000 a year. He had applied for promotion on two occasions but was turned down both times."

Sentencing Proctor to 100 hours' community service and putting him on probation for two years, Mr Justice Moses told him that he was lucky not to be facing a prison sentence.

He said: "These offences affect the whole way a company trades. It poisons the atmosphere and creates a climate of mistrust.

"You are taking advantage of those who have put their trust in you."