A DISGRACED Bolton police officer was today jailed for stealing a police charity collection.

PC Mark Slater, aged 40 -- who formerly worked with the fraud squad -- was arrested after he used some of the money to go on a family holiday to America.

Slater, from Bradshaw, organised a charity ball in aid of his old sergeant who died of cancer. But although the function raised around £2,000, no money went to cancer charities.

A month later Slater -- who faced massive debts -- took girlfriend Christine Perry and their respective children to Florida. They withdrew hundreds of dollars on a daily basis and bought the children new bikes for Christmas.

After their return to Britain, Slater fobbed off police colleagues who wanted to publicise the charity bash. He later claimed he had given the cash to Perry, a Special Constable.

Slater's father eventually paid a £1,420 cheque to charity just days before the couple's trial was due to begin.

Slater was convicted of theft by a majority verdict after a week long trial, and was jailed for four months today at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.

Perry, aged 34, of Tonge Moor, was also convicted of theft and ordered to complete 100 hours community punishment. Slater has since lost his job with Greater Manchester Police.

Judge Adrian Lyon said: "You had a career with some distinction and you had earned the appreciation of those for whom your were responsible.

"But you have a history of financial mismanagement which led you to this predicament. You have been useless with money throughout.

"This offence was opportunistic in that you started off fully intending that the proceeds of this evening should go to the cancer charities.

"But the fact is as time went passed you took the money and you thought to yourself, if nobody ever asked for it then you would keep it.

"This was a breach of trust. You as a police officer know better, and the court cannot mark it in any other way than a custodial sentence."

Slater had joined the force in 1967 after working for British Aerospace. He worked with the burglary squad then worked plain clothes on drug cases, prostitution and licensing before briefly joining the Financial Investigation Unit in 1992.

Slater began a relationship with mother of two Perry in 1997.

In July 1999 Slater offered to organise the "999 fundraising ball" in memory of Bolton town centre based, Sgt Clive Holmyard, who died aged 46 from cancer.

Holmyard -- a former Royal Marine -- was well respected, and tickets for the £5 a head event at Bolton's Eden club were sold throughout the Greater Manchester Police Force, the Fire Service, the Marines and friends.

Slater organised a raffle and an auction, and canvassed traders in Bolton for prizes. Up to 400 people attended, and cash raised was put in a safe to collected by Slater.

But some of the cash was paid into Perry's private account which they were both using, and was swallowed up among their own money.

By the and of December 1999 the account had been wiped out, and in early 2000 the couple separated. No money was ever paid to charity.

After the court verdict this lunchtime, Bolton police chief Supt Don Brown said: "They cheated their friends, colleagues and cancer charities out of money which had been generously contributed in the memory of the late Sergeant Clive Holmyard.

"We have established procedures for auditing such collections, but Slater and

Perry did not adhere to these procedures.

"Once this was discovered, as we do in all such cases where there is a clear breach of trust, their activities were swiftly and robustly, investigated.

"On behalf of my colleagues may I apologise for any distress that this incident may have caused to Clive Holmyard's family and friends."