A WOMAN who ‘succumbed to temptation’ and stole tens of thousands of pounds whilst working as an accountant for a small family business has avoided jail.

Teresa Gardner, 63, of Thyme Close, Banbury admitted one count of theft by employee and one count of false accounting after taking £25,890.94 from the Denis Green carpets and fabrics shop in Mill Walk, Witney.

She was sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Oxford Crown Court heard how Gardner, who had worked at the shop for 16 years, was solely responsible for handling the accounts and banking takings.

She enjoyed the ‘upmost’ trust of owner Richard ‘Stan’ Green but was secretly adjusting credit card statements to cover up the fact she was stealing cash takings between April 2013 and November 2014.

In a statement read out to the court, Mr Green said he feared the real amount of cash stolen could be higher because Gardner had destroyed the books from previous years.

He said he was struggling to understand the ‘selfish’ actions, which had caused the business significant financial problems and prevented it from hiring much-needed new staff.

He added: “She had our complete trust and took advantage of it.

“For a small family business, it has been very difficult to recover.

“I have to work from 6am until late every day which is starting to affect my health and the time I spend with my family.

“My plans for retirement have been shelved.”

In mitigation, the court heard how Gardner had built up significant debts in an attempt to improve her mental wellbeing whilst her marriage was in difficulty.

The untrained accountant could not resist temptation after being given responsibility beyond her training, but had begun to repay the money.

Judge Ian Pringle said he thought long and hard before passing the suspended sentence, which also included 120 hours unpaid work.