A best man stole money given to him to organise a stag weekend, a court heard.

Lee Francis collected the cash from the groom-to-be and each of five friends on the promise that he would arrange the celebratory trip to Croatia.

But Maidstone Crown Court heard on Friday that suspicions were aroused when Francis failed to tell any of the “stags” about the accommodation and flight arrangements.

When finally confronted by groom Samuel Cooley, in July last year, the self-employed web designer claimed to have forgotten who he had booked the holiday with.

He promised to return all the money, but none was forthcoming. Francis, 38, of Wickham Street, Rochester, was arrested after his friends went to the police.

Francis admitted theft of £2,240 between August, 2006, and June, 2007.

Sentencing Francis to a 200-hour unpaid work community order, Judge Charles Macdonald QC said the offence was “mean, in breach of trust and committed over a significant period of time.”

Full story in Monday's print edition of the Medway Messenger