An organiser with a Canterbury-based international events company blew more than £30,000... arranging events for herself and her family.

Devious Lucie Chroma, 32, used the company credit card for award-winning Zibrant, which has offices in Orchard Place, to:

• Fly her partner for a luxury holiday in New York
• Enjoy slap-up meals at posh restaurants and pubs
• Book stays in top hotels
• Pay fitness club membership fees
• Settle her parents' council tax bill of £700

In eight months, Chroma, of Eastern Esplanade, Margate, plundered nearly £33,000 on what a judge dubbed "high living".

She has now been handed a suspended prison sentence after a court heard she is "at a loss" to explain her offending.

Jim Harvey, prosecuting, told Canterbury Crown Court she was employed by Zibrant, an international events agency and "whose role included looking after a number of clients who could be based anywhere in the world".

Chroma – who is now pregnant – was based in Canterbury although much of her work was from home, using "company-provided data devices" and a company Nat West credit card.

Mr Harvey added: "The card was exclusively issued to her, but it was provided under her terms of contract, which made it absolutely clear that the only time it could be used was in the company's interest. There was also a £5,000 monthly limit."

Chroma was ordered to provide details of her expenses every month – but she failed to do them and triggered an internal investigation.

Chroma admitted to police she had been using the card "for her own personal use", including for council tax bills for herself and her parents, flights and accommodation for herself and her fiance to New York, restaurants, health clubs and a shopping trip to TK Maxx.

Judge James O'Mahony said: "This was some high living. This was barmy, going around the world, going to restaurants, while at the same time taking out payday loans."

Chroma would later claim she had used all the credit on her own cards and began taking out payday loans with Wonga.

Natasha Spreadborough, defending, said: "She is at a loss to explain why she got caught up in this kind of offending."

Chroma claimed her first fraud was a £59 trip to TK Maxx, "with the attitude 'I will pay it back', but it just spiralled out of control."

Ms Spreadborough said Chroma "kept every single receipt", hoping to pay the money back at some point.

The company, which suspended her in January, kept her final wages of £5,790 and she later handed over a Dyson vacuum, along with a council tax refund of £700.

The lawyer claimed Chroma kept her frauds hidden from her fiance and family and was now "very remorseful".

Chroma, who wept throughout the 30-minute hearing, had admitted eight charges of fraud.

She was given a 12-month jail sentence - suspended for two years - and ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work.

Judge O'Mahony told her: "You were in a position of trust and, out there, there are a lot of people who would give their eye teeth to have any job at all - and more so for a job like you had.

"You took this money and used it to treat yourself to high living, travelling all over the world, going to restaurants. The ridiculous aspect is that at the same time you had debts on separate cards of your own and then took out payday loans."

He said that because Chroma admitted her fraud immediately "I can be merciful and suspend your sentence".