A SCAM artist who fleeced a martial arts organisation of more than £180,000, leaving about 60,000 amateur fighters uninsured, has been jailed.

Paul Griffin was hired by Chaddesden-based Amateur Martial Arts Association to be in charge of organising insurance policies for its members.

The association provided students and instructors in karate, judo and many other martial arts across the country with insurance cover, grading exams and competitions to take part in.

Between 2001 and 2004, Griffin, of Essex, was paid more than £250,000 by the AMA to take out the cover for all its members.

But despite taking the regular payments, Derby Crown Court heard, Griffin applied for only a small number of policies with an insurance broker, leaving 95% of the club's 65,000 members uninsured. Over three years, Griffin pocketed £182,386 while about 60,000 students and trainers learned violent fighting styles without cover for personal injuries.

Griffin was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to theft.

Judge Robert Brown told him he put thousands of martial arts students and instructors in "serious risk" of injury for which they would not be covered.

He said: "It is serious. It is a bad breach of trust. You have shown no feelings of remorse."

The AMA was set up 40 years ago by Tom Hibbert, now 85, and was run from his home in Chaddesden Lane, Derby.

Mr Hibbert, who was awarded an MBE for a lifetime of service working with schools and young people, no longer runs the AMA, which is now based in Bury.

After the sentencing, he said: "I don't feel especially happy, though I am pleased it is over. I'm glad he pleaded guilty. It has saved a lot of bother."

The court heard how Mr Hibbert finally became suspicious after his attempts to contact Griffin over several months were unsuccessful.

Prosecutor Simon Phillips QC said Mr Hibbert eventually contacted the insurance broker directly, finally learning the real number of policies Griffin had taken out and paid for.

Martin Taube, in mitigation, said: "Mr Griffin accepts he will be sentenced on no other basis than an honourable and blameless man – Mr Hibbert – has been deceived."

A decision regarding compensation is due to be made at a later date.