AN EBBW Vale man took £16,500 from a fund set up to help his son fight a degenerative disease to stop family members giving it to charity, a court heard.

Julian Emms, 46, of Southbank, Beaufort, is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court, where he denies one count of fraud by abuse of position in August 2010. Emms is accused of stealing £16,500 from the Michael Emms Fund, which was set up in 2007 to fund treatment for Emms’ 20-year-old son Michael, who had motor neurone disease.

Family and friends from across Gwent raised cash for Michael, from Caerwent, to undergo pioneering stem cell treatment in China with stem cells donated by his baby half-brother Rhys. But, despite having the procedure in December 2007, Michael died on April 11 2011, aged 23.

Emms told the court he was planning to take his son to New York, which was Michael’s “dream”.

However, after making some arrangements, Emms said Michael’s grandparents Ann and David Brandon had second thoughts about using money from the fund and asked Emms to return two cheques.

This left Emms “very annoyed” and he was angered further when he discovered the Brandons planned to give money in the fund to the Motor Neurone Disease Society. He said: “I was OK with that, but not while Michael was still alive.”

Emms took £16,500 out of the Michael Emms Fund account at Lloyds TSB, Merthyr Tydfil and hid it in his attic, intending to “protect not to steal” it.

The Brandons called police after realising it was missing andEmmssaid he offered the money to his ex-wife Teresa Brandon and son Stephen, who didn’t want it.

In October 2010, Emms claims he placed it in a safe at friend David Cornfield’s unit on the Severn Bridge Industrial Estate, Caldicot.

However, he told the court he has not been back there since February 8 2011, when he claims Mr Cornfield attackedhimwith an iron bar – a complaintwasmadeto the police but no further action was taken.

Mr Cornfield told the jury on Tuesday no money had been placed in his safe.

Emms told the court he lied in police interview about spending the money as he didn’t want officers to know he had it.

He also admitted he’d made up a story in police interview about giving the money to a drug dealer as part of an operation to catch him.

Proceeding.