A FORMER Swansea doctors' practice manager failed to attend court when he was due to be sentenced for offences of theft and fraud amounting to more than £90,000.

Jason Johns had been due to learn his fate last week at Swansea Crown Court.

But there was no sign of 35-year-old Johns when the case was listed before a judge at 10.30am.

Proceedings had been transferred from the city's magistrates' court earlier this year after Johns, of Fairwood Road, West Cross, Swansea, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of theft and fraud.

Magistrates on that occasion heard that he had committed the offences between 2004 and last year, while he was practice manager of Port Tennant Surgery.

He dishonestly obtained £91,207 by awarding himself pay rises and overtime payments and by forging doctors' signatures on cheques, magistrates heard.

After Johns pleaded guilty, magistrates said the case was so serious it would have be dealt with at the crown court. But they agreed to allow him to remain on unconditional bail while a background report was prepared by the probation service.

Last Thursday, when the case came before Recorder Greg Treverton-Jones, barristers Paul Hobson and Janet Gedrych represented the prosecution and the defence respectively.

Miss Gedrych then explained that Johns was absent because he was in Bournemouth with his girlfriend.

She said that at the earlier hearing her client had been told sentencing would take place on March 1.

But for some reason, said Miss Gedrych, the listing officer at the crown court had decided to bring the case forward by a few days.

When this decision was announced late on Wednesday, the defendant's solicitors went to his home and his mother informed them that he had gone to visit his girlfriend in Bournemouth.

But efforts to contact Johns by mobile phone and email to inform him of the change of date had all proved unsuccessful, said Miss Gedrych, who applied successfully for the case to be postponed.

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