A Conservative councillor has been found guilty of stealing a children’s pushchair.

Paul Mansfield, who represents Peverel ward on Adur District Council, stole a buggy worth £150 in Chichester on August 28 2022.

At a trial at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court, Mansfield, 60, of Avon Close in Sompting, pleaded not guilty to theft.

He was found guilty and ordered to pay a total of £875, including a £161 fine, £150 in compensation and a £64 victim surcharge.

The remainder, £500, would be paid to the Crown Prosecution Service to cover costs.

Mansfield serves as the chairman of the council’s licensing committee.

A spokesman for Adur District Council confirmed that he will remain as a councillor despite his conviction as the threshold required for disqualification was not reached.

Under the Local Government Act, a councillor would need to have served at least three months in prison in order to be disqualified from election and holding office.

Mansfield, who was elected with a majority of 125 votes in 2022, will complete his current term in office in 2026.