The coach and founder member of Canterbury Fencing Club Paul Romang has admitted stealing more than £39,000.

The sportsman - who appeared at Canterbury Crown Court under his name Frederick Romang - pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud.

But his barrister John O'Higgins said he planned to repay the money "through the good will of family and friends" within six weeks.

Romang, 59, of Grange Way, Broadstairs, wrote cheques for himself when he was treasurer for the St George Abadan Chapter of the Freemasons in Chatham between July 2008 and January last year.

Mr O'Higgins told the court: "He wrote cheques to himself. He accepts he was dishonest, not withstanding that he was planning to pay the lodge interest and ultimately to repay the capital.

"In short, he was not allowed to make loans. He said that on four occasions he did repay small amounts of money and his intention was to repay the lodge."

His sentence was adjourned until November pending a probation report and he was remanded on bail.

Judge Nigel van der Bijl told him: "You want to pay the money back. Well that's good.

"If you do manage to pay it back that will help assist your sentence, whatever that is likely to be."

In November last year Romang was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for the sexual abuse of one of his pupils.