Boss ruined funeral by stealing hearse key.

A FUNERAL director who stole the keys to a hearse belonging to a rival firm while it was parked outside a church was spared jail yesterday.

David Leslie Wood, 49, ruined the dignity of Patricia Thorburn's funeral, and her dying wish to be carried from the church to the crematorium in a vintage Rolls-Royce.

While her funeral took place in the Salvation Army Citadel in Middlesbrough, Wood reached inside the Phantom VI and pinched the ignition key from under the driver's seat.

Mourners had to wait an hour before the funeral firm managed to "hot wire" the classic car by ripping open the dashboard and joining two wires together to start the engine.

Her cremation in Acklam was delayed by an hour because of the damage to the hearse.

Recorder James Goss QC at Teesside Crown Court said the seriousness of the offence was such that custody was required, but suspended the six-month sentence for a year.

Wood, of Bridge Court, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to theft at an earlier hearing.

He told his probation officer that his behaviour on September 23 last year was "stupid, pathetic and childish".

The judge said: "This is not really an offence of theft but an offence against public decency."