A WOMAN who stole cigarettes, scratch cards, groceries and cash worth over £12,000 from her employer has narrowly avoided jail.

A court heard how Jacqueline Wray, of Cranborne Road, Swanage was handed a suspended prison term of 15 months for stealing goods from Betty and Martin Slater whom she worked for at Jenkins News, at High Street, until 2014.

The 49-year-old former Conservative Club committee member had worked for the Slaters since they opened the business in 2008, a hearing at Winchester Crown Court was told yesterday.

Mrs Slater told the court she'd been forced to mortgage their property and move home as a result of their losses.

His Honour, Judge Douglas Field, asked: "It came as a shock when she had been stealing? Up to then you'd put your trust in her and when you discovered the true facts it came as a devastating blow?"

Mrs Slater responded: "Devastating would describe it very well. It's just something you don't expect to happen to you. You work hard working for a better life for your family. We still have enormous debts.

"We moved into the flat above the shop which we would usually let to holiday makers so we had to lose the income from that.

"We were always worried about money; we never had enough. We were always exhausted, mentally and physically, from constantly not having money."

Mitigating was Tim Shorter who told the hearing Wray had admitted to stealing some cigarettes and scratch cards, but initial claims she had stolen close to £200,000 were incorrect.

"Perhaps the most significant mitigation is that Mrs Wray made some admissions to the police," he said. "The prosecution's case at that stage was something up to £200,000 and your honour has already reminded us of your findings on a monetary basis. Whatever she had done it was nothing like the amount of money that was alleged.

"Some of the financial problems [the Slaters] had were down to inexperience and not simply Mrs Wray's dishonesty."

Judge Field handed her a prison term of 15 months, suspended for 12 months, 130 hours of unpaid work and a three month curfew, monitored electronically, as well as a victim surcharge of £100.

"The Slaters were new to the business of running a shop and placed a high degree of trust in you," he said addressing Wray.

Speaking after the hearing Mr and Mrs Slater said they were "very disappointed" with the sentence.

Martin said: "This wasn't about getting our money back. We are very disappointed but it's over now. The judge can only sentence on the guidelines, we do realise that."

Betty added: "On the positive side the business is picking up. We're glad the local people support us and have done throughout the whole scenario over the last 18 months."