Year in jail for mum who stole £43,000

Penny Lewis, 30, admitted eight charges of theft and asked for 63 other offences to be taken into consideration when she appeared before Bradford Crown Court.

While working as a purchase ledger clerk at WGT Management Travel in Shipley she transferred money from the company over a nine-month period into a joint bank account she had shared with her husband James.

The court was told the couple had built up debts of around £35,000.

But David McGonigal, prosecuting, said there was no evidence to suggest she was spending the money on an extravagant lifestyle, even though she had bought herself a car worth £12,000.

Fiona Dix-Dyer, mitigating, described the case as a tragedy, and said that after Lewis's marriage broke down, she left the matrimonial home.

"She has no possessions. She has no car. She has absolutely nothing,'' added Miss Dix-Dyer.

"Her shame has prevented her from telling any member of her family. She was in desperate straits.''

Lewis, formerly of Park House Crescent, Low Moor, Bradford, made 71 separate transactions after discovering she could use her own credit card.

The matters came to light when a member of staff asked her whether a number of refunds had been authorised.

After till rolls from a credit machine revealing her dishonest transactions went missing, she confessed to taking the money and promised to pay it back.

Sentencing her, Judge Simon Grenfell said the case must have had a "devastating'' effect on her children and he accepted she did use the money to try and save something from their marriage. But he believed a custodial sentence was inevitable.

Speaking after the case from his home, where he is looking after the children, Mr Lewis said: "I think it's a bit of a joke - putting her away when there are three children here."

No one was available from the firm to comment.

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