A former treasurer of a pre-school group who stole nearly £32,000 to pay off her debts escaped an immediate jail term for the sake of her young family

Kelly Jones, 36, abused her position of trust and stole cash from Neatishead and Barton Turf Pre-school over a two year period by transferring money into her own personal bank account, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Mark Roochove, prosecuting, said that Jones, who also formerly worked as a teaching assistant at the Neatishead primary school which shares its site with the pre-school, managed to pay about half the cash back but said it reached a point when she was unable to repay the stolen money.

He said the outstanding amount was between £11,238 and £15,871.

He said when confronted about the thefts, the mother-of-three admitted stealing the money as she was in financial difficulties.

Jones, of Neville Road, Sutton, admitted theft from the pre-school between July 2014 and November 2016.

Judge Stephen Holt imposed a 16 month jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered her to do 200 hours unpaid work.

He said he was going to suspend her sentence for the sake of her young family.

He said the thefts were a breach of trust: 'A lot of people feel very upset by what you did.'

Judge Holt added: 'You have only yourself to blame.'

Richard Wood, for Jones, said it was a close-knit community and said it had been difficult for Jones as she had to face people on a daily basis.

He said she was relieved when the thefts were discovered.

'It's been an enormously difficult and upsetting experience for her. She has lost her good character.'

After the case, a statement issued by the pre-school said that the committee, which is run by a small team of volunteers, felt 'let-down and saddened' by what happened.

They said Jones had abused her position and ultimately stole from the children as this money was meant for their education and development.

They stated: 'Since the theft came to light we have worked with the Charity Commission and Norfolk County Council to review our accounts and financial policies. We now have really robust procedures in place to prevent this from happening again. We have a really good pre-school at Neatishead and Barton and are proud of what we have achieved for our children in a short space of time. What has happened, has made us stronger and even more determined to provide the best education and care for children in the area.'