Derren's cleaner jailed for theft

Derren Brown's former cleaner has been jailed for 16 months for stealing blank cheques from the illusionist's home which were cashed in for more than £33,000.

Rocio Pavon-Navarrete, 47, previously admitted stealing two signed cheques from the entertainer's home while he was away.

She pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court last month to one charge of theft.

The cheques were signed by Brown's manager, James Cooper, but were left blank and stored at his home in Baker Street, central London, for use by his assistant while the TV star and Mr Cooper were away on business.

Pavon-Navarrete, of Bardsley Lane, Greenwich, south east London, was jailed for 16 months at Southwark Crown Court today, the official said.

Pavon-Navarrete's co-defendant, Bernard Ayanbanjo, 48, was found guilty of fraud last month after a trial.

Ayanbanjo, of Waverley Road, Woolwich, south east London, took the cheques, worth £21,550.35 and £11,500, and paid them into his own bank account between October and December 2010.

He will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on October 19.