A MINEHEAD locksmith has been cleared of laundering £4,000 in a stolen cheque scam after telling a jury he had no idea what was going on.

Former policeman Christopher Cooper was found not guilty at Exeter Crown Court of possessing criminal property.

He had told the court he was unaware his bank accounts were being used to launder money stolen from a 95-year-old neighbour.

Cooper said he was sick in bed and unaware his son Aaron had stolen the woman's cheque book used it with Jason Croker to empty her account.

He allowed Aaron to use his shop's business account, but thought the payments were legitimate.

Cooper took early retirement from the police due to post-traumatic stress caused by harrowing experiences while on duty.

He told the court he was suffering a recurrence of a mental breakdown at the time Aaron and Croker carried out the £3,900 fraud in summer 2020.

He left the running of his CLS Locksmiths business to Aaron, who also did gardening and maintenance work.

Cooper, 64, of King George’s Road, denied money laundering and was acquitted.

Aaron, 36, of the same address, has admitted stealing the cheque book and fraud. Croker, 44, of Elm Grove, Minehead, has admitted possession of heroin and fraud.

They will be sentenced later.

During a three-day trial the prosecution said 21 cheques were forged by Aaron and Croker and paid into CSL Locksmiths' account.

They alleged Cooper transferred the money to a personal account and then back to Croker, who withdrew the cash and shared it with Aaron.

Cooper told the jury he moved to Somerset after leaving Leicestershire Police in 1996 and took over a locksmith’s business, which he ran successfully.

He said Aaron was gradually taking over and was in almost sole charge by mid-2020, when Cooper suffered a recurrence of his mental illness.

He believed the money transferred through the business account was for Aaron’s legitimate work.

He knew nothing of Croker’s involvement and would not have allowed it if he had, because he knew drug user Croker had a record for burglary.

Cooper said: “I didn’t know anything about stolen money. The first time I realised about it was when I was interviewed by the police.

“At the time I was ill...and I don’t recall the transactions. I didn’t have anything to do with.”