A North Yorkshire coroner and solicitor has appeared in court accused of a £24,000 fraud involving dead people.

Jeremy Cave, 51, is charged with obtaining money transfers from the estates of four people over four years, including £11,346 from the late Mrs Alwyne Worthy, on or about May 8, 2000.

The charges are understood to relate to Cave's practice as a solicitor.

He is currently suspended as coroner for the Selby, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Skipton areas, pending the outcome of the court proceedings.

Cave, of Balk, Thirsk, and formerly of Thornton-le-Dale, near Pickering, spoke little during the early administrative hearing before Northallerton magistrates.

Apart from the allegation involving Mrs Worthy, the solicitor is also charged with dishonestly obtaining £5,875 from the estate of the late Elsie Mawer on or about October 15, 1997; £5,750 from the estate of the late Harry Manning on or about November 13, 1998; and £894 from the estate of the late Hilda Bentley on or about July 8, 1999.

All the offences are alleged to have occurred in Thirsk.

The case was adjourned for six weeks at the request of the Crown Prosecution Service and Cave was given unconditional bail.

Cave's firm was Jeremy Cave Solicitors of Thirsk.

Updated: 10:42 Friday, June 29, 2001