MEMBERS of a York social club who were left badly out of pocket following the theft of £10,000 from club funds have had the cash returned to them by police.

The Press told in August last year how members of Acomb Working Men’s club had made the shock discovery when they tried to pay for an organised coach trip to the Rugby League Cup Final at Wembley that same month. An account which should have held £16,000 had been reduced to only £6,000.

In November, Tony John McDaid, was handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for one year, after admitting he had taken the money when his taxi business was hit by the recession and he had suffered a family bereavement.

During court proceedings, a remorseful McDaid said he felt “ashamed” and “appalled” at what he had done and when he phoned the club secretary to confess, he had driven to Tadcaster with a rope in his car and had intended to take his own life.

Mr McDaid, then 52, of Cornlands Road, had been treasurer of the club at the time and once the crime had been detected had handed the cash over to police.

Yesterday John Lane, the current secretary of the club, said: “He took the money in to the police station.

“The police held it back until after their investigation. We had a long wait but we all got it back.”

In February this year, members of the club said they were still waiting for the return of the money from police, despite it being available for release for the previous three months.

Mr Lane said the club members were now looking forward to a trip to this year’s Rugby League Cup Final, which takes place later this month.