A former Prestatyn post office manager who stole from his employers has dropped his claim that he gave £50,000 to a homeless man in Liverpool.

Following discussions at Mold Crown Court today an agreed order was made under The Proceeds of Crime Act that Justin Faddes had a criminal benefit of £104,781.

He was ordered by Judge Niclas Parry to pay £54,762 in confiscation within three months or serve an additional 12 months in prison.

The court was initially told that it would be a contested hearing and that Faddes claimed that the available amount was nil because he had given the cash away in a ruck sack to a homeless man in Liverpool.

His barrister Simon Killeen said that his client was aware of the evidential difficulties that he had.

Prosecuting barrister Matthew Curtis said that the claim had been thoroughly investigated by the police.

Faddes said that he had been to McDonalds where he bought some food and had then gone out into the street where he handed over the rucksack containing the cash to an unknown homeless man.

But CCTV had been checked, he did not have a rucksack when he left McDonalds.

It was the prosecution case that he was a dishonest man who had “squirreled the money away”, he alleged.

Following a break, the figures were agreed – the benefit figure was the amount stolen with interest, and the £54,762 figure to include the unaccounted money, some fishing equipment and a watch.

In March Faddes, 37, was jailed for 27 months after a court heard how he yearned for the good life, took £103,000 from the safe at the sub Post Office in Prestatyn and disappeared.

He lived under false names in hotels in various parts of the country – and paid in cash – and claimed to be spending £650 a day.

But he got fed up, felt lonely and was tired of looking over his shoulder – so gave himself up to police in Liverpool.

He gave £500 to an officer and said “that’s from the theft”.

Judge Niclas Parry, who jailed him for 27 months after he admitted theft, rejected his story at the time of sentence and said that there was no homeless man in Liverpool “driving around in a Porsche.”

He said: “For the record, I utterly reject any suggestion that the money was paid to a worthy cause,” he said.

“It has gone over a bookie’s shelf and over a bar.

“This is a case about greed.”

It had been “a senseless and wasteful theft” involving a significant sum of money and a serious breach of trust.

Faddes, who lived at The Robin Hood Caravan Park in Rhyl, was the manager at a sub post office at a Spar store at Prestatyn. All but the £500 handed to police was outstanding.

In January, he was seen on CCTV to be the last one to leave and he was carrying a bag over his shoulder.

The following morning he did not turn up, staff asked him in a message if he was running late, but there was no response.

Another manager was called to gain access to the safe.

There was no money inside and the police and the area manager being called.

An audit showed that £103,395 was missing.

A note apologised for what he had done and he disappeared until he handed himself in to police on March 6.

Interviewed, Faddes said that he knew that there was “loads of money” in the safe and wanted to start a new and better life.

He bagged it for collection, stayed behind and said he left a note in the safe apologising to staff for what he had done.

The defendant told how he packed a bag and tried to find a train station without CCTV – but could not do so.

He took a bus and a taxi to Chester intending to go to Blackpool.

The defendant said that he stayed in a number of hotels in different parts of the country under different aliases and paid in cash.

But he became lonely, was tired of looking over his shoulder and missed his family.

In Liverpool he decided to hand himself in – but said he tried but failed to flag down a number of police cars and ended up being assaulted on one occasion by a member of the public.

He took the view that the company would be insured and alleged that he had handed the remaining £50,000 to a homeless man in the city.

But he was later shocked to find out that the company operating the sub Post Office was not insured.