A DISGRACED army major who stole more than £100,000 from a war hero’s support fund has been jailed for three years.

Colin Morris, 46, based at Bulford camp, took more than £61,000 donated to a fund for fellow soldier Major Pete Norton, whose arm and leg were blown off by a bomb in Iraq.

He also pocketed almost £40,000 from the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) – money that was intended to support other wounded servicemen and their families.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Morris was appointed ‘casualty visiting officer’ to the family of bomb-disposal expert Major Norton after the blast that almost claimed his life in July 2005.

His wife launched an appeal to raise funds to get him state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs, asking for donations to be sent to Morris at Bulford camp.

However by 2007, Morris’ marriage was in tatters, he was battling drink and gambling problems and had £120,000 in debts.

He contacted donors to the appeal, Pete’s Arm and Leg Fund, and asked them to send more money to his own address in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. He stole £61,154 from the fund, passing on just £36,000 to Mrs Norton.

He was also treasurer of the Salisbury Plain division of the SSAFA and stole £38,620 by forging signatures on 43 cheques. He took another £1,000 from the charity’s bank account.

Morris has been subject to two court martials in the past – one for sexual assault and another for £10,000 fraud in which he cashed army cheques and pocketed expenses for training courses he did not attend.

At Chelmsford Crown Court he pleaded guilty to theft, deception, false accounting and fraud.