A corrupt council officer has been given a two-year suspended sentence for soliciting and accepting a dummy bribe.

Daniel Metzger, 43, of Stanhope Road in Greenford admitted accepting £15,000 in cash from Brentwood-based TFM Holdings Limited in return for a lucrative parking enforcement contract.

He appeared before Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday last week and Judge Mota Singh QC said: 'This is in some respects a tragic case.

'You've lost your good name, lost a good job with prospects of excellent advancement and it's likely you'll never work again in a position of trust.'

Metzger came to the UK from war-torn Sierra-Leone in 1989 and was appointed head of Ealing's transport services in 1998, but suspended and then sacked in disgrace after his arrest last summer.

Defence counsel, John Femi-Ola said: 'He was absolutely desperate.'

Mr Femi-Ola explained that his client had to flee to Gambia, losing all his property. There he he was responsible for supporting around 20 adults, while his two nieces were captured after their parents' death and held captive for six months.

A spokesman for Ealing Council said: 'The council sacked Daniel Metzger on August 6 as a result of a disciplinary hearing which was held within days of his arrest.'

The court heard how Metzger broke down in tears when the fraud squad arrested him, on July 27, just 20 minutes after the year-long contract worth an estimated £1.5 million was awarded to TFM.

'It was during a conversation that occurred on June 20 that aroused the suspicion of TFM,' said Mr Millet.

He told the court Metzger arranged a meeting in a pub with TFM director Simon Meyer. This meeting was in contravention of all council rules in its code of conduct.

'The defendant indicated that it was a substantial contract and indicated they would want to protect it... [he] said if TFM were awarded the contract it would have to benefit him personally.

'It was only then that Mr Meyer realised the defendant was asking for a bribe,' said Mr Millet.

TFM immediately contacted police who set up the dummy meeting for the exchange of cash, in which Metzger was recorded demanding £20,000, and eventually agreeing to take £15,000.

The council confirmed that undisclosed discussions with a tenderer can be in breach of the council's code of conduct.

Independent auditors were brought in by Ealing Council to investigate the monitoring process in tendering cases.

They found that Metzger had not been able to influence the selection process, and check that the council's monitoring was sufficiently robust.

All council employees have received information to ensure they are 're-familiarised' with the code of conduct.