A Wellington Rugby Club youth coach has been ordered to pay back more than £1,000 which he stole from the club.

Derek Rowswell, of Church Green, Wellington, pleaded guilty to deception and stealing cash and cheques to a value of £1,303 which were to be used to pay for a tour by the club's youngest players.

Appearing before Taunton Deane Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (April 29), the 24-year-old, a coach and mentor for the under-13 team, was ordered to pay back £1,103 and sentenced to a one-year community rehabilitation order.

The prosecuting solicitor Donna Newton-Smith told the court Rows-well took £900 cash to pay off debts on his rent.

The money had been raised by parents and boys at the club, and was set to pay for tours by their junior and mini teams.

Rowswell's problems then spiralled when he used money for drink and he later took more money from the club and tried unsuccessfully to win the cash back by gambling.

Defence solicitor Fiona Tremelling said: "He very stupidly took the money to try to solve his debt problems and never thought about the consequences of what he was doing.

"Unfortunately, he owed rent to the council and felt unable to ask friends or family because he was too proud.

"He was threatened to be thrown out of his house and he did the stupid thing of taking the money from the club where he spent a lot of time coaching children.

"He had good intentions to pay it back but the amount of £900 built up.

"The club began to suspect him and the chairman went to see him. He owned up and apologised but still had no money to pay it back."

After he was confronted about stealing the money, he decided to speak to parents and children to apologise for taking the money.

Rowswell, a prop forward who has been playing rugby since he was seven, lost both parents when he was 14, and began drinking heavily and gambling. He later became homeless.

At 19, he began coaching youngsters at the club and in 2002 he was voted clubman of the year.