A NANNY who stole £24,500 from her employers to pay off debts has been jailed for 20 months.

Rejecting a plea to spare Zoe Whibley prison and impose a community order, a judge said it was sustained and persistent dishonesty over a six-month period.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that the 30-year-old had worked for Christopher and Karen Phillips for five years, looking after their children.

The deception was discovered when Mr Phillips, manager of a motorcycle shop in Gillingham, was contacted by his bank and told the account would be overdrawn if a £1,000 cheque was paid.

Catherine Donnelly, prosecuting, said Mr Phillips was shocked, as he had not authorised any such payment.

The matter was investigated and it was found that 19 other cheques had been presented for payment for sums between £500 and £2,000 since January 2005.

When arrested, Whibley had £1,555 cash.

Mrs Phillips said in a statement she was devastated that Whibley had gone into their home and abused their trust.

Whibley, of Cornwallis Road, Maidstone, admitted 20 charges of forgery, 19 of obtaining a money transfer by deception and one of attempting to obtain a money transfer by deception.

Miss Donnelly said as the bank had been negligent, it had incurred the loss and the £24,500 had been repaid to the couple.

Judge Adele Williams said the family must have had a dreadful feeling of betrayal and it was a terrible breach of trust.

“A sentence of imprisonment is inevitable,” she said. “I can’t suspend it. I will keep the sentence to the absolute minimum.”