A TAX advisor who defrauded small business owners out of £84,000 over the course of almost five years has been jailed.

Between early 2011 and late 2015, Barry Keating, of Kittiwake Close in Bournemouth, ran up bills for "unnecessary work", "manipulated tax information" and "obtained rebates and paid them into an account run by his daughter", a court heard.

In total, around 30 people lost amounts ranging from £2,100 to more than £11,000 through Keating's fraud.

The defendant, 54, admitted fraud by abuse of position and concealing, disguising, converting, transferring or removing criminal property before a judge at Bournemouth Crown Court.

He returned to the court on Thursday, June 2 for sentence.

Simon Edwards, prosecuting, said: "The core of the fraud was that he obtained money from Customs on the understanding that it would be passed onto the client, and it wasn't."

Victims became "disgruntled, inquisitive and in fact some became involved in litigation with HMRC [HM Revenue & Customs] as a result," Mr Edwards added.

Many clients tried to contact Keating, but his phone "would just ring and ring," it was said.

Jamie Gammon, mitigating, said the defendant's personal difficulties had led to "what appears to be a fairly rapid downwards spiral".

"He contacted a number of professionals to seek advice, he was helped by a number of solicitors' firms," Mr Gammon said.

"He has tried to put it right but simply has not known how to do it."

Keating, who in October 1991 admitted a charge of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception in relation to a mortgage application, plans to sell his late mother's home to repay his victims, Mr Gammon added.

Judge Peter Johnson said the defendant had been "trusted" by his victims.

"You used your daughter's building society account as a conduit for these monies," Judge Johnson told Keating.

"You continued to solicit business from new customers even though you knew you were defrauding one client to pay another."

He said the defendant had accused his victims of "bad behaviour".

"This was a persistent course of offending," he said.

Keating was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing to recover the stolen money has been scheduled.