An office manager who stole nearly £16,000 from a charity helping victims of domestic violence has been ordered to do unpaid work for the community.

Staff and volunteers at Craven Domestic Violence Service felt betrayed and misused by Sandra Oldham’s breach of trust, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

She plunged the charity into the red, forcing it to make an outreach worker redundant.

Oldham escaped going to prison because the judge said his hands were tied by an indication given by magistrates that she would get a community order.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge James Stewart QC, said: “I find the whole situation very unsatisfactory.”

He said Oldham, 48, was committed to Bradford Crown Court for sentence by Skipton Magistrates with “an expectation that she would not go to jail.”

Otherwise, said Judge Stewart, she would have been locked up, “end of story”.

He sentenced Oldham, of Milton Street, Skipton, to a 12-month community order with 200 hours’ unpaid work.

Judge Stewart warned her she would go to prison if she breached the order. He branded the theft “a breach of a high degree of trust”.

Oldham’s dishonesty had a considerable impact on a charity helping vulnerable members of society. The judge said Oldham had pleaded guilty, avoiding suspicion falling on anyone else, and had paid back all the money.

She suffered domestic problems and had dependant children and an elderly mother.

Oldham used the charity’s online account to buy two Wii Fit games consoles for Christmas presents.

Investigations revealed further financial irregularities by Oldham, who was responsible for paying wages, looking after petty cash and validating expenses claims.