BARKING, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRT) has been dealt another blow after a former security chief was sentenced for theft.

Former head of security Gary Franks, of Aragon Drive, Ilford, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft after stealing from cash machines in the car park at King George Hospital.

Franks was handed a 26-week jail term, suspended for two years, and an 18-month supervision order, as well as being dismissed from his post at the hospital.

The thefts took place in June 2009 during a rocky year for the Trust, in which it was rated bottom among 400 other trusts across the country for overall quality and financial management.

Controversy was also sparked when 16-year-old Tatum Rock was awarded £1.5million compensation after staff at King George failed to spot a benign growth, causing her to go blind.

A glowing report from inspectors for maternity care within BHRT offered a bright spot for the trust this month but the future remains murky for King George's A and E, now under threat of closure.

Local residents have now launched a campaign to save the department, protesting outside Redbridge town hall and garnering hundreds of signatures on a petition against the closure plans.

A Trust spokeswoman said: “We are happy with the outcome of the case, and continue to work towards protecting NHS property and assets.”

She refused to reveal whether anything else had been taken.