A FORMER payroll manager who pilfered thousands from his employer is having to sell his home to repay the debt from prison.

Christopher Lancaster was in charge of payments at Gardners Books in Eastbourne where he had worked for more than 20 years.

But he cheated the company and stole more than £50,000 over four years to fund a better lifestyle which included trips to Dubai, designer watches, and a car.

He paid himself by using the details of a former employee at the book printing firm.

Previously he told probation officers he “felt sick” each time the money came into his account.

But in April Judge Christine Laing QC said he was “not sick enough to put a stop to it” and jailed Lancaster for one year and eight months.

Last month he once again appeared in the dock at Brighton Crown Court for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Investigators had seized sums in his bank accounts, and wanted to claw back the money he stole.

Lancaster, formerly of Seaford Road, Eastbourne, wore a white T-shirt, jeans, and spectacles for the hearing.

Richard Mundel, prosecuting, said the total benefit obtained was £57,834, and said Lancaster had some cash frozen in a bank account.

Justin Rivett, defending, said Lancaster’s wife is marketing their property for sale, so that he can pay off his debt back to the company.

Previously it was revealed that Lancaster had stolen the money between October 2013 and May 2018.

His household income had fallen since his wife had left the company to become a self-employed baker.

Mr Rivett said Lancaster deeply regretted his actions, but claimed his client was not living an “extravagant” lifestyle.

He said the most expensive item was the £2,000 watch, while the Dubai holiday had been “cheap” because

Lancaster had stayed with his brother, not in a luxury hotel.

When he was discovered, he immediately apologised to bosses at the firm.

Later, police had to talk Lancaster back from the brink at Beachy Head before he could be brought to court and admit his crime.

Judge Laing QC told him: “The reality is that sheer greed was the driver for this offence, nothing else.

“You have no addictions, no need, and no financial difficulties.

“It was sheer greed to continue a lifestyle you clearly aspired to, but which finances didn’t allow.”

Last week, Judge Ann Arnold ordered him to pay back the cash within three months.