A building society employee who stole over £13,000 of her employer’s money, has been spared immediate custody.

Laura Martin, 21, created ficticious transactions putting money in and taking it out of customers’ accounts and creating fake withdrawal slips so she could pay cheques to herself.

The final figure was £13,110.

Martin, of Broad Street, Canterbury, was committed for sentence to Canterbury Crown Court having admitted fraud by false representation between February and April, this year.

She was sentenced to eight months, suspended for 12 months, with 170 hours unpaid work.

Denzil Pugh, prosecuting, told the court she worked at Bradford and Bingley in Canterbury and at the start of 2008 began renting a flat but didn’t have very much money and didn’t know how she was going to buy basic furnishings.

Martin paid herself in large chunks of hundreds of pounds and when recordings were checked, they showed her to be responsible. She made full admissions when interviewed.

She said she was in difficulties because of furniture and didn’t want to draw on her own savings so began to take her employer’s money.

Philip Rowley, for Martin, said she had no assets, nothing of value and no income at present although there was a possiblity of work potato picking.

The amount was greater than she thought but she didn’t keep any note of how much she had taken.

“She knew she would be detected and was relieved when she was. There is no real explanation why she behaved this way and she is deeply regretful,” said Mr Rowley.

He said the risk of re-offending was low and asked the court to consider a suspended sentence.

Sentencing Martin, Judge Timothy Nash said she had breached the trust placed in her and a deterrent sentence had to be passed.