A nightclub worker who stole more than £2,400 from her employers has been given a second chance.

Derya Atikoglu, 43, of Fourth Avenue, Gillingham, had been employed by the Casino Rooms in Rochester.

One night in June last year, the deputy manager noticed Atikoglu took money from a customer, rang up the till and gave him his change, but did not put his notes in the till.

Atikoglu was challenged and then admitted she had been stealing for some time.

The club then checked its CCTV records as far as they were available, and was able to calculate Atikoglu had taken a total of £2,422 over her 55 shifts in the previous three months.

When she appeared before Maidstone Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday) she pleaded guilty to stealing that amount, although a business impact assessment read to the court from the Casino Rooms saidh if she had been taking money over her whole period of employment, the sum might have been as much as £16,000.

John Roberts, defending, said that at the time Atikoglu had a cocaine habit and she had been taking the cash to finance her drug use.

He pointed out that the theft had occurred 16 months ago and said since then Atikoglu had not been in any more trouble.

Importantly, she had broken her drug addiction. He said she had been free from drugs for a year and she had “turned her life around.”

In March she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was currently undergoing a course of chemotherapy treatment.

Because of her illness, she is unable to work and is on Universal Credit. She is a single mother with two daughters, aged 15 and 12.

Emily Wiles, prosecuting, said Atikoglu had three previous convictions for theft, although the last had been in 2013.

After consideration, the chairman of the bench, Mark Tucker, told Atikoglu: “Given that a lot of time has passed since these offences, and given that your personal circumstances have changed, and due to your poor health, we are prepared to step outside the normal sentencing guidelines.”

The magistrates gave her a conditional discharge for three years, but she will be obliged to reimburse the Casino Rooms £2,372 at the rate of £20 a month. The difference in the totals was because the deputy manager had already taken £50 of the stolen money back on the night he caught her.

Mr Tucker said that a payment of £20 a month was all the court was allowed to take from someone on benefits, but said if she were truly remorseful and was later able to get a job, she should pay the money back as soon as possible.

He added: “I’m confident we won’t see you in court again.”